Applications of Replication
by Eternal Density
Summary: Sequel to ASA. The Stargate Program is public, Dakara is gone, Athena is scheming, Sam and Jen are still stuck on the Alpha site and many other characters are missing... SamJack, DanJan - but mostly separated :P Includes many old characters. &Super-Cassie
1. Cynthia Unbound

Applications of Replication

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 (apart from the DVDs), nor any of the galaxies in which this story takes place.� This is written for fun, not profit.� Much of the plot, and some of the characters (particularly Cynthia and two others introduced in this chapter) are mine, so please don't take them.  
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Notes: This is a sequel to Aperture Science Applied, so it would be wise to read that first.  
Some spoilers for Prometheus Unbound, Reckoning, and Threads (and Gemini), and familiarity with Season 8 is recommended since I don't always rehash every detail or scene if it's not necessary.� Anyhow, enjoy! 

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Chapter 1 - Cynthia Unbound

"You've packed plenty of clothes?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Hat coat and boots?"

"Yesss."

"And all your computer cables?"

Cynthia gave her mother an 'are you crazy?' look. "Me without cables? Daniel's more likely to give up coffee."

Sam turned towards Daniel, who was giving his farewell to Doctor Janet Frasier, who he'd left until last. "Be careful around alien women," she was warning him.

"Janet, I'll be too busy missing you to notice anyone else," he told her honestly.

"You promise you'll come back intact?"

"If not, you can put me back together. Trust me - I'll be careful."

"Like you always are, Daniel. But please try to care for _yourself_ this time. And go easy on that arm for at least a week."

"I will. Here, I want you to have something to look at so you can always remember I'm coming back." Daniel handed her a small black box.

Janet looked inside and involuntarily gasped. "Daniel? Is that... are you..."

"Janet Frasier, after I return, will you marry me?"

Janet collected herself and smiled slyly. "I'll answer when you get back."

"Janet! I... well... I suppose that's..."

She interrupted him with a kiss that caused Cynthia to look the other way and Jack to cheer rowdily. "On second thoughts, it's much better to look forward to a wedding."

Daniel looked a little lost. "Is that a yes?"

"It's a 'hurry back and marry me, you adorable man, or else I'll use you for medical testing'."

"Can't argue with that." He slowly slipped the ring onto her finder, and after one more lingering kiss and tight hug, he boarded Prometheus.

Jack stared after his newly-engaged departing friend. "That was unexpected."

"You two be good," Cynthia told her parents, who seemed to have become lost in their own thoughts.

"Stay out of mischief, and make me proud," Jack told his newly discovered daughter.

"You aren't proud of mischief?" he fifteen-year-old asked in mock astonishment.

"Depends on the result, which is usually bad, so... be careful and don't get too bored."

"Did you pa..."

"Yes, Mom. And yes, I'll say 'Hi' to Doctor Weir and try to be nice to McKay even though he's a..."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sam cut in.

"You remember all the emergency procedures?"

"Yes, Dad. And I'll bring you some pictures of Pegasus trees, if there are any. Mom, good luck with the replicator project."

"Thanks, Cynthia. I'm sure I'll find your ideas helpful. Remember to keep warm and don't stay up late."

"Late relative to what?" Cynthia asked cheekily. "Just think, next time you see me I'll be telling you all about what I did in the Pegasus galaxy! No other teenager can say that."

"No truthfully," Jack quipped. "You'd better get aboard.

"Goodbye, and give my thanks to the president." After a quick round of hugs, the young genius followed Daniel's footsteps into the space cruiser. She quickly found the man speaking to General George Hammond.

"You must be Cynthia. I've heard so much about you from your father," he said in a welcoming manner. "I'm glad to have a budding scientist aboard."

"Actually I'd say she's a flowering scientist, seeing that she's already created her own stargate _and_ independently predicted the properties of naquadah, among other things," Daniel corrected.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," Cynthia said timidly.

"Please call me George, seeing that your mother is my goddaughter."

"Okay... George. You know, last time I was on this ship, I was a prisoner."

"So I've heard. I hope your stay is much more comfortable this time. Would you like to watch liftoff from the bridge?"

"I'd love to! And I promise I'll be quiet and keep out of the way."

"Naturally. Since my men are busy finalising the pre-flight checks, I have a few minutes to show you where things are."

"Sounds great."

It was. While Cynthia had seen floor plans and read technical specs the day before, nothing beat walking though the real thing. George's enthusiasm about the mission served to increase her own, and he struck her as a capable leader. She began to see why her parents spoke so highly of him.

The engine room and armoury were two of the most interesting stops on the tour. Her own room provided little of interest, and was only big enough for a fold-down bed and room to stand beside it. She didn't mind since there were plenty of corridors to walk in. Besides, she was fortunate to be going at all.

She checked her watch and saw that launch was ten minutes away. It seemed amazing that only a day ago she was out shopping like any regular person. It had been a fun day, getting to know her mother and her mother's friend Janet, as well as Cassie. Cassie was a fun person to have around, and if she hadn't known, she would not have guessed the young woman was not born on Earth. She was glad that Cassie had a few weeks off med-school, because it was obvious Janet would be greatly missing Daniel, to whom she was now surprisingly engaged. It was too bad she couldn't come to see them off.

Cynthia couldn't help but wonder who had won the betting pool on that one. Her mother and Janet had already won off each other's relationship – hence the shopping spree. If she had to guess, she would say the quiet but insightful Teal'c would be a likely candidate for the next pool winner.

Noticing the time, she decided she'd better get herself to the bridge if she didn't want to miss launch.

"So... this is hyperspace," she commented to Daniel after Earth had been left far behind. "Looks pretty."

"Uh, yes, it does," Daniel agreed after looking through the window. "I'm sure there's some scientific explanation for what we're seeing."

"I expect so, but it's not one of my priorities."

"Yeah, so... here we are, going to another galaxy."

"Another galaxy. Sounds... wild. The farthest I've been from home is the Alpha Site."

"It's a good way to escape, isn't it?" Daniel commented.

"Escape? From what?"

"It must be tough to lose your parents, have new parents appear, and be kidnapped as part of an alien invasion, only to be faced with an evil robot double of your mother who gave you away at birth. I though I had a bad childhood, but… well that must be overwhelming."

"You had a bad childhood, Daniel?"

Daniel nodded sadly. "I saw my parents die in an accident when I was much younger than you, and then I went through several foster homes."

"Oh. I guess this trip is partly a way to get away from it all for a while. Though considering where we're going…" Cynthia laughed at the situation. "We're probably heading into a lot more trouble than we left. I guess the whole galactic battling you do helps you put all the little problems of everyday life into perspective."

Daniel shook his head. "Actually, we need to remember that the reason we're fighting the 'galactic battle' is to protect all those little 'everyday life' things. All this jumping between planets might seem big, but it's the small simple things we are fighting for."

"Hmm… that's an interesting point. Thanks, Daniel. You're a smart guy."

"I have my moments. Speaking of which, I'm needed in a meeting in a few minutes, so I should be on my way."

"I guess I'll see you later. I'll be working in my room." The pair parted, and Cynthia took a roundabout route back to her cabin. On her travels, she crossed paths with another scientist. "Hi, I'm Cynthia," she greeted the woman.

"Doctor Lindsey Novak. You must be hic the one who invented your own stargate, right?"

"Yeah, that would be me. What's your field?"

"Alien technology, particularly hic engines. Sorry about that, I get hiccups when I'm hic nervous."

"So you'd know all about the hyperdrive?" Cynthia figured.

"That's right. hic Actually, I'm off to tell the hic general that it's operating at 100 hic efficiency."

"Great. We should talk some time, when you're not busy."

"I'd love to, if hic I get a chance." The woman quickly continued on her way.

Cynthia soon reached her room and began setting up her laptop. Once it was running and ready, she took out a vial of black goo which had several wires attached to it. She plugged a connector into a high-speed port in the laptop and continued her project of the last couple of days. The goo was the small collection of replicator cells she'd managed to pocket during the 'juggling' incident. Fortunately she'd succeeded in reprogramming them slightly so they didn't respond when Thor had searched for all remaining replicator cells.

After some time, she felt the ship change course. She paid little attention to this until an alarm sounded a while later. While she knew the best move would be to stay in her room, she couldn't easily work with the sound of the alarm, even though she often listened to music about as loud. The difference was that the music did not signify some unknown danger. Eventually the alarm fell silent, allowing her to work while she waited to someone to come and tell her all was clear and explain the problem.

No one came, making the teen rather suspicious. She waited another five minutes, but the silence and inactivity were constant. Deciding the situation warranted investigation, she quietly left her room and began to search the ship. Oddly, she didn't see anyone for the first few minutes, so she decided she should head for the bridge. There she found Daniel, tied by the wrists to a chair and struggling to get loose. He immediately signalled for her to be silent, and she complied.

Daniel wasn't having much success getting free. To save him the trouble, Cynthia pulled out her pocketknife and cut him free. He immediately scooped up a zat gun that had been left nearby and whispered softly, "Back to your room. One intruder. I'll take care of this."

Cynthia unwillingly obeyed… for a few minutes. She soon grew anxious and chose to find Daniel again. The sounds of a scuffle lead her to the engine room. She peeked around the corner in time to see a black-clad, black-haired woman leap onto Daniel and lean forward.

"Are we done?" the stranger asked.

"I am!" the pained Doctor Jackson replied. The woman pulled him up by his head and after stroking his cheek, leaned in as if to kiss him. Daniel anticipated this, and slapped her face rather hard. "You're a fruitcake!" he declared.

The woman head-butted him to the floor. Cynthia was about to run in to assist, but before she could get far, Daniel recovered and took the stranger down with the zat. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Daniel replied, feeling a few of the places that would soon become bruises. "She fights dirty."

"Who is she? And where's everyone else?"

"She decided to borrow our ship without asking. Transported everyone else to a disabled Al'kesh which we thought we were rescuing. Oh, and she's locked down the hyperdrive systems so I can't stop us from going to our home-world. Do you think you could find a way around whatever she's done to the computers?"

Cynthia shrugged. "Sure. Does she have a name?"

"Uh… Vala. Hey, before you do that, would you mind changing her clothes for me?"

"If you don't want to do it yourself."

Daniel didn't need to think to answer that question. "That would be a bad idea."

"Fine. Does this happen often?" Cynthia wondered.

"Far too often."

_Back on Earth…_

Ivan Sage sat moodily on his bed, strumming at his guitar. It was one of his few possessions, as his father didn't let him have much money. While he spent most of his time working at Sage General Store, he didn't earn much from it, because Markus, his father, felt the boy owed him for the previous seventeen years of his unhappy life.

Unbidden, a jumble of images appeared in the static of his mind. He fought them off, as he always did. If he paid them any attention, they would multiply and become clearer, and he didn't want that to happen. His father told him that he had been damaged before he was born. It was his mother's fault. Ivan had no memory of his mother, just a lot of bad words from his father. Actually, he had seen images of his mother in his mind a couple of times, but when he mistakenly told his father… the spanking had left him unable to sit comfortably for a few days.

Apparently, the visions were evil and wrong. Ivan did his best to deny them entry into his mind, in order to keep his father relatively happy. Sadly, the effort and the remaining static left him academically inferior. He'd dropped out of high school when he realised he would never get good grades, no matter how hard he tried. His father had been upset, but when he'd realised it meant his son could join him in the store, he'd warmed up to the situation.

Ivan was sick of the situation. While his father was usually pleasant to be around, and didn't have any bad habits such as drinking, he was a rather controlling and selfish man underneath. He claimed to be protecting Ivan from the world and from his mother's influence, but having few friends and little money left him fairly miserable. At least he had his music. And he was very nearly almost 18, at which time he had decided he was leaving. He wasn't sure where yet, but he had a bit of cash hidden away, having sold some of his things, and done occasional odd-jobs when his father was off fishing with his buddies.

He briefly wondered whether his mother was really bad as Markus regularly claimed. He guessed not, but there was no way to find out. Unless he let the pictures tell him. There was no way his father could find out, especially since Ivan would be gone very soon. Deciding it was worth a try, he attempted to concentrate on the idea of his mother, while allowing himself to see the pictures in his head. This was a lot harder to do that he expected, since pushing away the visions had become so ingrained.

Various pictures rushed through his mind, many of them snippets of memories. None were concerned with his mother, until he briefly saw a woman holding a bundle which he somehow knew to be himself. She looked normal enough. Then another vision appeared: himself walking through the airport. "Which gate do we need to be at?" a familiar female voice asked. He pulled out a ticket and read, "Gate 5".

The teen blinked and looked around. He was still sitting on his bed with his guitar. Somehow he'd experienced a memory of something he was sure hadn't happened. That was strange, but even stranger was that he had clearly seen the destination on the ticket: Colorado Springs. Perhaps it was meaningful, perhaps not. Either way, it seemed as good a place to go as any.

On the outskirts of town, Leah Lincoln moved silently through fields, holding her camera. She was hoping to spot some night creatures, or anything of interest, really. She'd found photography to be an interesting pastime and she had become quite skilled at it. Her pictures brought in a reasonable sum of money from various local publications.

She wasn't entirely sure what she might see tonight, but she was an adventurous sort. If she found something, she'd have some interesting pictures to show for it, and if not, it was still fun, and it was a bit of exercise. She'd recently upgraded her camera so she could use an infrared flash, which was useful if she didn't want anyone to know she was taking pictures, so long as she didn't care about colour.

Leah heard a sound and froze. She listened and identified it as an approaching truck. Soon its headlights were visible, fortunately not pointing towards her. It stopped in an empty field and two men jumped down from the cab. Impulsively she snapped a few pictures. Then she heard another sound. It seemed to be coming from the sky, possibly an airplane. However, she couldn't see any lights, and it seemed to be rather close.

The unexplained sound stopped on the ground near the truck, rather puzzling the young woman. However, it wasn't nearly as puzzling as what happened next. The air seemed to shift and an unidentifiable object appeared on the ground beside the truck. The shape appeared to be rather irregular. She remembered to take more pictures just as some sort of door opened. Two more men stepped out, and the four of them began transferring crates from the truck to the… whatever it was. Eventually the truck drove away and the occupants of the unknown thing returned.

Leah still succeeded in being surprised when the unknown object rose off the ground. She did however managed to snap some more pictures before it faded into invisibility. She could still hear it as it departed however. Whatever it was, it was unidentifiable, and it flew, logically making it a UFO. Clearly, she had a good reason to be up early in the morning. The reputable papers might not print any of these pictures, but she was sure the tabloids would pay good money for them.


	2. Attempts at Flight

Chapter 2 – Attempts at Flight

"I'm done. Now what?" Cynthia asked after changing the alien woman's clothes.

Daniel returned from the next room. "I'll lock her in the brig. You work on the controls systems and see if you can get us turned around. An Al'kesh appeared on our radar briefly before we jumped to hyperspace, and I'm hoping it's the one the crew are in.

"Great, I'll get to work." Cynthia fiddled with the controls for a few minutes while Daniel dragged away the unconscious Vala. Deciding she didn't have the right tools for the job, she retrieved her laptop from her room. When she returned, Daniel was watching the prisoner over the security camera.

"I see you!" he called.

Vala looked around and spotted the camera in the corner. "Did you have fun taking off my clothes?" she asked, moving closer to the camera.

"I didn't," Daniel stated directly.

"Oh? I certainly don't remember taking them off, and it's not something I'm liable to forget in a hurry."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we aren't the only ones on the ship."

"Oh."

"And the other person does happen to know quite a lot about computer systems. Perhaps you could tell me where you attempted to take this ship?"

"I told you: to save my people. Could you please let me out of here?"

"Nope. Not happening."

Vala sat wearily. "Y'know, I haven't eaten in several days."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you could save us some time and tell me how to access the navigation controls?"

"It isn't very nice, you know, starving a prisoner to death. Come on, Daniel, you've seen me naked. At least…"

"I told you, that wasn't me."

"Well at least one person on this ship has. So…"

"Did I mention she's fifteen years old?"

Vala seemed surprised. "I thought you said she knew a lot about the computers."

"She does."

"Oh. Well you'd better feed me before I start eating these silly-looking clothes."

"Fine, I'll get you some food."

_A little while later…_

The computer beeped happily, causing Cynthia to grin. She tapped a few more keys and Prometheus dropped out of hyperspace. Fortunately there were no immediate threats detected, as she had no idea what to do next. Since she knew they needed to turn the ship around and find the rest of the crew, she ran to find Daniel. He seemed to be saying something about camels being gone now.

"And Ba'al's forces are searching every inhabitable world in Camulus' territory. His ships are everywhere. It's only a matter of time before my people are found," Vala explained.

"Uh, excuse me," Cynthia interrupted.

"Ohh, aren't you tall for fifteen! Though what with differences in planetary orbits it's hard to be sure what that really means," Vala babbled.

Daniel shot her a disapproving look, as he wanted to know what the teen had to say. "Cynthia?"

"Navigation controls are unlocked, and we've dropped out of hyperspace. You can input a new course now," she told him proudly.

"That's great news. I'll just take Vala…" he caught a movement in the corner of his eye and turned in time to receive a banana peel in the face. "Wha…" Vala snatched the zat gun away from him before he had a chance to aim. He lunged at her but before he could do any damage, the pain of a zat blast washed over him.

Vala pushed the fallen archaeologist off her and aimed at the shocked blonde girl. "You have my sincerest thanks for distracting him."

"Uh… Please don't shoot me. I'm just a harmless kid. I can't do anything to you." Cynthia slowly edged closer to the black-haired woman, preparing to strike when she was close enough. "You've got the weapon, so you're in control."

"True." Vala calmly squeezed the trigger, giving Cynthia a dose of crackling blue energy. "As if I'd fall for that trick," she said to the unconscious girl. She dragged her prisoners to the brig and set about re-entering her flight path.

Daniel awoke first, and discovered that in addition to being in the brig, his hands were secured behind his back. Cynthia lay sprawled beside him. He gently shook her by the shoulder. "Hey, Cynthia, wake up."

"Uhhh… what happened?"

"Vala shot us both with the zat."

Cynthia looked ashamed. "Oh. Sorry, I distracted you."

"Don't worry, it's more my fault for taking my eyes off her. I should have known better. Anyhow, we're here now, so we should concentrate on getting out. Any ideas?"

"You'd hope the Air Force could build an escape-proof brig," Cynthia commented. She inspected the room and suggested, "The only weak point is the door. Perhaps…" She stopped as she felt a jolt run through the ship. "We just dropped out of hyperspace, didn't we?"

"I'd say so."

"What are the chances that Vala actually intends to use this ship to 'save her people'?"

"Slim," Daniel admitted.

"Then we'd better get out of here quickly. I'll see what I can do to the electronic lock."

Daniel gave her a funny look. "With your hands behind your back?"

"I didn't say it would be easy." It was a good thing she hadn't said it would be easy, because she would have been wrong. Five minutes of fumbling resulted in skinned knuckles, and five more minutes achieved the removal of a cover plate. "Perhaps I could try shorting out some of the connections."

"They all look insulated," Daniel observed.

"Then I'll scrape off the coating… hmm, this cover has a sharp edge." She succeeded in baring a couple of the wires, and oddly, this was enough to unlock there door."

"Huh?"

"That was easy. Way too easy."

"Just two, in here," said Vala to someone in the hall outside. She pushed the door open and smiled at her prisoners. "Good to see you're still here. We're going on a little side trip."

Daniel spotted the two decidedly non-human aliens beside Vala, who had changed back into most of the super-soldier armour. "Uh… are these your people?"

"I'll explain that later," she said evasively. "We need to take a little walk planet-side."

"I'm not going anywhere without my laptop," Cynthia declared firmly.

"Your what?"

"Portable computer."

"Oh. Fine, you can bring that. Daniel, want to collect anything on the way out?"

Thinking about the possibility of escaping through a stargate, Daniel decided he had to take a GDO along. "As a matter of fact, there is one small thing I'd like to bring along, for sentimental reasons."

"So long as it isn't heavy, or a weapon."

"You're wasting our time, Vala," one of the aliens growled.

"This won't take long. We'll soon be out of your tentacles, Tenat." She quickly escorted Cynthia and Daniel to collect the items they had collected and then led them outside.

"Where are we going?" Daniel queried.

"That little cargo ship to the left. Quickly, please."

Daniel had no choice but to increase his pace. He didn't want to give Vala any need to use her wrist blasters. Finally they were all inside the cargo ship. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a large box.

"Weapons grade naquadah. Payment for your lovely ship."

Daniel groaned. "I can't say I'm surprised. I don't look surprised, do I Cynthia?"

"No, you don't look surprised," she agreed.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't intend to let them keep it for long," Vala admitted. She pulled on the rest of her armour and pressed the buttons to activate the ring transporter. Nothing happened. "Hmm, that's odd." She tried a few more times. "Well, it looks like they gave me a cargo ship with busted rings. That's no good. And they seem to be leaving the planet too."

"You mean you planned to cross them and never considered the possibility of them doing the same to you?" Daniel wondered, a little smarmily.

"Don't worry, I made sure they couldn't get far. Unless they're as smart as Cynthia here – which I know they aren't – they're stuck at sublight speeds. I'll sort the rings off later, for now we should at least follow them."

"I bet the engine won't work either," Daniel guessed.

"Hey, don't say things like that. I'm sure the… hmm… perhaps if I… no, you're right."

Daniel shook his head in annoyance. "This is not my lucky day."

"Does anything work?" Cynthia wondered.

"Ooh, yes, sensors are up."

"That's good." Daniel was now slightly less discouraged.

"It means we get to see the gliders before we hear them."

"Gliders?" the two Tau'ri asked in unison.

"They're heading for your ship. I think we were followed."

"Of course we were."

"On the bright side, the cloak works," Vala added cheerily. "So we're safe so long as a stray shot doesn't hit us."

"Let's try not to think about that."

"Alright, Daniel. Perhaps we should think about the two Al'kesh which are joining the fight, and the slim chance of those idiotic traders figuring out how to return fire. I don't think there's much chance of us using that ship again."

"Vala!"

"Though on the bright side, I did show them how to turn the shield on, so that buys them a little more time."

Daniel dropped his head to his knees.

"Cheer up, Daniel. I did remember to bring food."

_Back on Earth…_

Ivan threw on some clothes and grabbed himself a quick breakfast, as he did every morning before walking to the store. His father was already in the kitchen. "Hi Dad," he muttered.

"Morning, kid," Markus Sage replied. Then had added as an afterthought, "Happy birthday. I'll let you of work an hour early."

"Alright," Ivan replied blandly as he munched on a piece of toast. "See you at the store." He would be opening today, as his father had to pick up some deliveries from the freight depot.

Markus nodded absently and picked up his keys. He didn't really care much so long as Ivan did what he was told and kept out of trouble.

Ivan pulled on his shoes soon after his father had left, and locked up the house. He brought along a backpack with some clothes and a few personal items. On his way to the store, he dropped it off at his friend Mikey's place. Mikey was a painter and a dropout like Ivan. He occasionally got himself in trouble due to his habit of painting things without permission, even though he did a rather good job of it, in Ivan's opinion. Some called it graffiti, while Mikey called it art. In any case, he had a car and had agreed to give Ivan a lift to the airport after work.

The day went by slowly, with the usual flow of customers through the store. Apparently today's topic of interest was an alleged UFO sighting, pictures of which had been printed in one of the local tabloids. Ivan didn't bother looking for himself, knowing that with the quality of printing it was barely possible to tell whether it was a real photo of a hoax, a clever computer manipulation, or painted from scratch. Whatever it was, it was slightly amusing to see so many people excited about it.

Charlotte Mayfield and Athena were less amused. "Have the deliveries moved further out of town. And use a different truck," she ordered one of her underlings.

"Yes, Miss Mayfield."

"And as for this photographer…"

"Leah Lincoln?"

"Yes, her. It would be a pity if she were killed in a mugging attempt. Though it would be no great loss for me."

"I understand."

The Goa'ulded woman sighed. It was a pity to need to start killing so soon, but some people simply couldn't mind their own business.

Ivan left the store, feeling like an escaped prisoner. Though he hadn't quite escaped yet. He was still in the same town as his father, a situation which would soon be remedied. On the other hand, a couple of times he'd briefly let down his mental shield, just to defy the man. Since he was leaving, there would be no consequences, since his infractions would not be discovered.

The 18-year-old wasn't entirely sure what to make of his 'problem'. There was no rational explanation for images popping into his head, especially when they seemed to be related to the lives of his customers. He'd initially thought that they might be his imagination working on things they'd told him during previous visits to the store. However, some of the visions that had lasted long enough to understand were definitely things he couldn't possibly be aware of. He wondered whether they were right, or if they were just random, or even 'evil' like his father claimed.

His musings resulted in inattention to his surroundings, and he found himself walking right into someone. Fortunately neither of them quite lost their balance. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," she said in a familiar voice. He stared at her, knowing he knew this girl with flawless chocolate skin from somewhere.

The vision vanished, leaving Ivan a little disoriented. He was sure she was the same girl from his airport vision, but he had no idea why he was seeing things that clearly had not happened to him. He continued walking, confused as to the meaning of what he had seen. He wasn't the only person deep in thought, and as he reached the street corner, he ran smack into someone coming the other way.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Leah apologised to the young man she'd walked into. There was something very familiar about him. After a moment's thought, she placed him. "Ivan Sage, from school!"

That was right, he knew her from school. If only he could remember who she actually was, he might have a chance at finding a sensible answer. Figuring it was worth a try, he opened his mind to any pictures that might be relevant. There were. In a flash, he saw many memories of her at school, and many he was sure he hadn't known. "You're Leah Lincoln, the girl with all the cameras."

As she nodded, he saw another memory: two thugs with knives. "You should never have taken those pictures," one said coldly, before slicing her neck with his knife.

"Are you alright?" Leah asked, seeing how shaken her school friend looked.

"I'm alright, but… did you take any pictures someone might not be happy about?" It seemed like a crazy thing to ask, but it was worth a try.

Leah nodded. "The UFO pictures that were printed this morning. Have you seen them?"

Ivan was surprised. "You took those pictures? I haven't actually seen them, but I've heard about them."

"Yeah, I took them last night. Why do you ask?"

"I think someone wants you dead," Ivan admitted.

"What? Where'd you get that idea?"

"Uh…" Ivan suddenly found himself seeing men load crates into an unknown craft, which then lifted into the air and vanished. "You really did see four men loading crates into a UFO!"

Leah looked at him even more quizzically. "I never told anyone how many there were."

"Good. That means you're more likely to believe me."

"Huh? Believe what?"

"Well… I seem to be able to see things about people. Glimpses of their past, and sometimes even their future."

"Get outta town, Ivan! That's crazy talk."

"You saw men loading crates onto a vanishing UFO last night," he reminded her. "If you can see UFOs, I can see visions."

"Fair enough. But… have you always been able to do it?"

"I guess so, but my father got mad about it when I was a kid, so… I've made myself block it out, until last night. That's why I was so bad at school. I couldn't concentrate."

"And you saw that someone wants me dead because of those photos," she recapped.

"Yeah, two guys with knives had you in an alley. Will have you in an alley."

"Okay… I guess I'd better get home. It was… nice seeing you again. Been a few years." She turned to duck down an alley, which was the quickest way home, and a route she regularly took.

Ivan grabbed her arm. "Not that way, that's where they're waiting for you."

"Oh. You sure?"

"Certain."

"Alright, I'll find another way home. Thanks for the warning, as weird as it was."

"You're welcome, Leah."

The young woman hung back. "Do you know if I'll be alright if I avoid these guys?"

Ivan considered the matter, opening himself to further images. "I… no… break into your house… shot and…" He shuddered at what he was seeing. "Whoever these people are, they want you dead, and want it to look like a typical crime that went bad. I think you'd better make yourself scarce."

"Got any bright ideas?"

"Well… I'm about to take a flight to Colorado Springs. I'm 18 today, and I've had enough of my dad. You could come with."

Leah shrugged. "I guess that's as good a plan as any. You seem to have already saved my life twice, so I guess you can keep me safe. And since I have plenty of cash and my favourite camera on hand, I should be able to find work anywhere. Going back to my house would be a bad idea, right?"

"Yeah, probably. Mikey's giving me a lift. He can fit you in too."

"Ahh, Mikey, the guy who repaints his car every month, at least. And half the down, it seems. I've got some good shots of his work. Right, lets do this." From what Leah could remember, Ivan was a decent guy, though fairly withdrawn. Plus he was nearly a head shorter than her. He was not an apparent threat, plus after the whole UFO thing, he seemed to be telling the truth.

"Great, let's pick up the pace a bit. Don't want to keep Mikey waiting."

"Got a ticket yet?" Leah wondered.

"Naw, I figured there's less chance of my dad finding out if I just find something after I get to the airport and pay in cash. So it's not like we have a flight to miss. Actually… taking into account how slow Mikey likes to drive, we should still have over an hour to spare after we have our tickets. You'll probably forget, but we're departing through gate 5."

"Eh? How do you know that if you don't have a booking?"

"Oh, I saw it in a vision last night. Actually, we were both there. That's why I decided on Colorado Springs."

"If you say so. I say this is stranger than the UFO."

"Me too," Ivan agreed.

AN: Well Cynthia _tried_ to be helpful. 


	3. Departures and Arrivals

Chapter 3 – Departures and Arrivals

"Sir, we're about to drop out of hyperspace," Novak warned.

General Hammond nodded. "Everyone stand by, there could be hostiles." The repaired Al'kesh dropped into normal-space within sight of Prometheus, two other Al'kesh, and several gliders.

"We have visual. Prometheus is taking fire and several gliders, and two Al'kesh are approaching her. Shields appear to be holding, but she isn't returning fire," Walter reported.

"We'll take them by surprise, Sergeant. Target the closest Al'kesh and fire at will."

"Understood, Sir." Walter made quick work of first one Al'kesh, and then the other, much to his delight. Prometheus finally fired a few badly aimed salvos and finally took out one of the gliders. This was fortunate since the shields had begun to fail. Walter took out one more before the others decided to get out while they could, and finished off another before George ordered him to break off pursuit, not wanting to meet up with a Ha'tak.

"Are communications working?" the general asked Doctor Novak.

"Yes, sir. You should be able to hail Prometheus."

"Good. Doctor Jackson? This is General Hammond. Do you copy?"

There was a pause as the aliens figured out how to activate comms. "This is Tenat O'Voran. I do not know of a 'Doctor Jackson'."

"Who are you and why are you on my ship?" Hammond demanded.

"This is in fact my ship. I paid well for it, and will defend it if pressed."

"Paid? Paid who?"

"A dealer named Vala. If you have a problem, you should speak to her."

"Where is she?"

"She left in a cargo ship with her payment some time ago."

"Was there anyone with her?"

"Two prisoners, both human. A man with glass circles on his eyes, and a young female. They were taken to the cargo ship."

"Those are my people! Are they unharmed?"

"They appeared to be in good health, and were allowed to take personal items with them: a portable computing device and a small black object with buttons, the purpose of which I could not deduce." Tenat knew he didn't have to answer, but every minute he talked was another minute in which Jup could fix the hyperdrive.

"Sounds like Cynthia's laptop and a GDO, Sir," said Walter quietly.

The general nodded and then returned to the communicator. "The ship you are occupying is the property of the United States Air Force. I demand you hand it over peacefully."

"We paid a fair price for this ship. We will not give it up."

"Are you in command or do you have a superior I could speak to?"

"I am in charge," Tenat replied.

"No, we're equal partners," another voice replied.

"Silence, Jup. Leave the talking to me, and get the hyperdrive operational!"

Hammond turned to Walter. "Are the shields still down?"

"I think they would have recharged slightly by now, but one shot should deplete them, sir."

"I want two teams of four ready for boarding. Collect weapons from the armoury before attacking the bridge. I would prefer if you took them alive," Hammond ordered. "On my mark. Walter, take out their shields… now!"

Walter took the shot. "Shields are down."

"Move out!" The boarding teams were sent through the ring transporters and before the traders had a chance to investigate, they had been taken down by zat blasts.

"Intruders are down, sir. No sign of any other hostiles," the leader of the first team reported.

"Take them to the brig, and ensure they have no weapons or tools hidden on them. Post two guards and have someone watch the security feed at all times. We don't want any more incidents."

"Yes, sir."

As the men on Prometheus set about securing the prisoners, the general began organising the remaining crew to either ring over to the Earth ship, or stay and guard or fly the Al'kesh. Novak was quickly set to work gaining access to the hyperdrive controls. Once he was certain of the security of Prometheus, he set about finding his missing people. "Colonel Reynolds, I want you to search the planet for any sign of Doctor Jackson or Cynthia Sanders. The aliens who bought Prometheus claim they were taken to a cargo ship as prisoners by a dealer named 'Vala'. If they have indeed gone, we have no way of finding them, but there is a chance they are still on the planet," he radioed to the Al'kesh.

"Sir, incoming Ha'tak!" Walter interrupted.

"What's our status?"

"Shields are at fifteen percent, weapons are ready, and hyperdrive is still not operational, sir."

"Give me five more minutes," chimed in Novak.

We'll retreat at maximum sublight. Try to get around the other side of the planet," the general ordered. "Colonel Reynolds, change of plans. Head off the incoming Ha'tak to buy us at least five minutes. Do what damage you can, but fly evasively as possible. When we jump to hyperspace, follow us back to Earth."

"Yes, sir!"

Down on the planet…

"That's got to be the rest of our crew," Daniel argued, pointing at the scanner display."

"There's no way of knowing they're your friends. It could be anyone with an Al'kesh who decided they like the look of your ship. Just like whoever owns that Ha'tak."

"You need to let us go!"

"I don't think so. We're just as likely to get captured or killed by the Goa'uld. And since we can't use rings or fly, we're stuck here. I don't think they have time to pick anyone up right now."

"So… what, we just sit here until we starve?"

Vala shook her head. "No, we fix the engine."

"Does this planet have a stargate?"

"A which? Oh, that must be what you call the Chappa'ai. Yes, there is one…"

"Great, we can use it to get back to Earth."

"… on the opposite side of the planet."

Daniel felt like breaking something, but held back. "Oh. In that case, carry on with the engine."

"I can help," Cynthia offered. "Do you think the engine is damaged or is it the power source?"

"Since the cloak is running off secondary power, I'd say the power source has been sabotaged, but that doesn't rule out damage to the engine. At least there's enough power to run the control systems and scanner, or we'd be blind. Let's see if I can bring up a diagnostic… hmm, that's interesting."

"What," Daniel asked with obvious worry.

"The engine seems undamaged but the thrusters are nonoperational, so once we get the power sorted out, we won't actually be going anywhere. Oh, and the star charts have been erased, so we won't know where we're going. Though if we just fly around to the Chappa'ai – no, I like 'stargate' better – we can get that taken care of."

"We can?"

"There's any number of traders and repair shops on this planet, so we can get what we need, for the right price. And since I'm currently rich, that should be no problem!"

"It's a problem for me," Daniel answered bitterly.

"Cheer up, I've got good news," Vala said, looking at the scanner.

"Oh?"

"If those were your friends, they all escaped from the Ha'tak."

"Escaped?"

"Jumped to hyperspace. Must have figured out a way of unlocking it. Lucky them."

"They're gone?"

"Yes, Daniel."

"That isn't good news!"

"The only other alternative would be destruction by the Ha'tak. Which also just left."

"Okay, I suppose it's good news for them," Daniel conceded.

"And for us, because there's no one around who might try attacking us."

"How about we stop arguing and get this engine fixed," Cynthia defused.

At the SGC…

"English, Carter," Jack ordered.

"In simple terms, we've found a way to use the Replicator debris to form a ship that we can control to attack the Goa'uld, Jack," Sam replied.

"I thought the Asgard erased everything," Jack replied.

"They erased all the Replicator knowledge, yes. But Cynthia succeeded in capturing a large amount of data from my double's subspace connection, when she was pretending to download Fifth's nonexistent cipher. Some of that data will let us apply basic configurations and movements to the Replicator blocks, and have them form the necessary components for space travel."

"Uh… does that mean you can tell the Replicators to build a hyperdrive?" Jack didn't think it could be that good.

"Yes."

"With no catch?"

"Apart from requiring the necessary raw materials. But the debris left by my double's ship is adequate for one ship, and then we can fly it to any nearby uninhabited metal-rich planet and tell it to start replicating."

"And it won't try to take over the galaxy, Sam?"

"While the Replicators we intend to create will need to perform a significant amount of processing in order to function, they would not be fully autonomous, rather they would receive their high-level instructions from us, and carry them out in the best way they can calculate."

"Come again?"

"It's just like the Air Force, Jack. You give orders to your men, but they have their own brains to figure out how to carry out those orders."

"So you're saying the Replicators will follow orders."

"Exactly. And they won't be insubordinate either."

"Sweet. When will this be ready, Sam?"

"We need a few days to complete the programming, since Cynthia's download doesn't have exactly everything we need, plus we need to run a few more simulations to be sure it will work."

"I can wait a few more days. Once you're close to a finished product, you'll need to fully brief the president before he'll give you authorisation to reactivate the Replicators."

Sam nodded. "Naturally."

"It looks like good work so far. When are you heading back to the Alpha Site?"

"Tomorrow. Janet's invited me to have dinner with her and Cassie tonight."

"Have fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't work to hard, Sir."

"Jack," the general reminded her.

"Sorry, I keep slipping back into old habits. As so you."

"It's only been a few days. We have the rest of our lives to practice. And don't say practice makes perfect – you know what I think about clichés."

"See you tomorrow, Jack," Sam replied with a smile as she left the room.

_Not too far away..._

Ivan and Leah exited the airport quickly, as they had no checked-in luggage. "So, now where to?" Leah wondered.

"Good question."

"Could you explain why we are in Colorado Springs, again?"

"I saw our tickets in a vision," Ivan repeated.

"You also saw men attack me with knives, but we stopped that from happening."

"So?"

"You saw it because it would have happened, until you prevented it. So you must have seen the ticket because we would have come here regardless. So, what's in Colorado Springs?" the photographer questioned.

"I'm looking for my mother. I guess I would have found she lives here."

"You guess?"

"Well since I saw where to go, I didn't need to look for her, so I don't know if she lives here, not for certain."

"That's not very smart," Leah declared.

Ivan shrugged. "I never said I was smart."

"We could find a phone directory," Leah suggested.

"We could," Ivan replied, suddenly not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Ivan? Hey, Ivan!" Leah shook her former classmate's shoulder.

"What? Oh." Ivan shook his head to clear his mind. "I just saw a vision of finding her address. So we don't need to look it up."

Leah shrugged. "That works too. Got cash for a taxi?"

"Yeah, I've got a bit left."

"Great. Let's hope your mom offers us dinner. I'm starving."

"I always thought airline food wasn't really as bad as everyone says."

Leah shook her head definitively.

_At Janet's home..._

"Mom, the cake's ready!" Cassie informed loudly.

"Throw me the oven glove." There was a chime from the front of the house. "And answer the door."

Cassie tossed the glove and ran to the door. "Coming!" She threw the door open excitedly. "Hi Sam!"

"Hey, Cassie darling. It's great to see you again so soon!"

"Come on in. Mom's just getting a cake out of the oven."

"Mmm, smells good from here." Sam followed Cassie into the lounge room, where she was offered a drink. Janet joined them soon after. "Hi Janet, and congratulations again!"

"Thanks. I'm glad you could make it, Sam," said the medical doctor. "As I said during your check-up, today's a special day for me.'

Sam nodded. "What did you mean by that? You seemed… sad, when you told me."

"Yes, it's part of my unhappy past. You know how I'm divorced?" she asked, to ease into the topic.

"Yes, is this an anniversary?"

Janet shook her head. "I mentioned my son to you once, didn't I?"

Sam remembered. "Oh, yes… you told me you'd explain that some time."

"I did, and now is 'some time'. I've already told Cassie and Daniel about this." Janet sounded a little apologetic.

Sam quickly assured her friend, "Don't worry, Janet. I don't mind – they have a right to know."

"Thanks, I was hoping you'd understand. It's like this: My husband was…" The door chimed again. "Sorry, I'd better answer that."

"Are we expecting anyone, Mom?" Cassie wondered.

"No… just Sam. If it's a salesperson or one of those delinquent kids, they're in for a nasty shock."


	4. Hellos and Goodbyes

Chapter 4 – Hellos and Goodbyes

Janet opened her front door, with Sam and Cassie waiting behind her.

"Dad!" exclaimed a surprised voice.

At the SGC…

Jack O'Neill was thinking he'd never get home. First there had been an unscheduled off-world activation, resulting in an urgent visit from the Tok'ra. Before he had a chance to leave, he was sent a recording of an urgent message received from Prometheus. Worried about what might have happened, he immediately played it.

"This is General Hammond, commander of Prometheus. We are returning to Earth after receiving minor damage from an encounter with a Ha'tak, two Al'kesh, and several Death Gliders. Prior to this, we were lured into a trap by a phony distress call by a pirate who proceeded to steal Prometheus and sell her to traders. No injuries were received apart from zat fire. We have since captured the traders and a third Al'kesh. Unfortunately, the pirate took two of my personnel prisoner."

Jack had been worried when he head that Prometheus had been under attack, but had almost laughed when he heard that the ship had been stolen by a single pirate. He was relieved to hear that no injuries had been sustained, and pleased at the mention of prisoners and loot. But the mention of prisoners had his heart sinking back towards his feet. Cynthia and Daniel had better not be among the prisoners.

"The prisoners are Doctor Daniel Jackson and Cynthia Sanders."

Jack swore. Loudly.

"The prisoners say that the dealer took the prisoners aboard a cargo ship, of which we have seen no sign. We were forced to leave by a Ha'tak, and our shields are minimal. However, the planet's location matches a stargate address, so we believe it is possible to sent a search team to see if the pirate is still on the planet. I am sending the relevant security footage so you know who you are dealing with. In summary, she claims to be a former Goa'uld host, wore armour taken from one of Anubis' drones, and used a zat gun to avoid killing anyone. We should reach Earth in approximately five hours. Hammond out."

Jack muttered some choice words about interfering female space pirates.

At Janet's home…

"Hi Sam! Doctor Frasier, Cassandra, I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I needed to see Sam."

"Dad, it's been a while," Sam greeted, giving her father a hug.

"It's no problem, General Carter," Janet replied.

"Please, call me Jacob."

"If you remember that I'm Janet when I'm at home. Come on in."

Jacob moved inside, but didn't sit down. "Actually, I can't stay for long."

"What's wrong, Dad?" Sam wondered with concern.

"I… Selmak's dying," Jacob admitted.

"What?" three shocked voices asked. "I'm sorry to hear that," Sam added.

"She's okay with it. She lived a pretty full life."

"I think I know what you mean, from my short time with Jolinar," Sam responded.

"She doesn't feel up to speaking for herself, but she wants to thank you for being good friends and allies. She also says she thinks of you as a daughter, Sam."

"I… I don't know what to say. Just… tell her I thank her for everything she's taught us… and you, Dad."

Jacob smiled. "She says it was an honour."

"Is there anything I can do?" wondered Janet.

Jacob shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She's just too old to live much longer. I need to get back to the base so she can safely… leave."

"I'll come with you, Dad," Sam offered.

"Me too," Janet added.

"No, Janet. You said today is a special day. You and Cassie stay here, and I'll be back as soon as I can. No working for you tonight."

"If you say so," Janet reluctantly agreed. "Goodbye and… good luck," she said to Selmak and Jacob.

"We thank you, Janet." Jacob Carter walked back to his car, followed by his daughter.

"Now what do we do?" Cassie wondered after the guests had left.

"I suppose we'll need to…" Janet was interrupted by the phone ringing. "…answer the phone." She quickly picked up. "Janet Frasier speaking."

"Doc, is Sam with you?"

"I'm sorry, she just left with Jacob, Sir. They're returning to the base."

"Oh, I'll tell her when she gets back. But this news is for you too."

"Bad news?"

"I'm afraid so. We received word from Hammond. He's scrubbing the mission. Ran into a spot of pirate trouble. Some woman managed to steal their ride, but they got it back without anyone getting hurt."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's not the bad news though. She took two prisoners. Not intentionally, but they happened to be in the right place at the wrong time."

"Prisoners? Daniel?"

"And Cynthia," Jack confirmed.

"Oh no! I'll be on base as soon as I can."

"No need, Doctor. No one's hurt, and we're already planning a rescue mission, via a handy shortcut." He meant the stargate, of course. "Don't worry, we'll get them back. You'll get all the details tomorrow."

"A woman has Daniel prisoner and you're telling me not to worry?"

"He'll be fine – he's already slapped her in the face once so far. And he has his garage door opener in case he gets away."

"Alright, but I'll be in first thing in the morning. Thank you for informing me." She set the phone down. "I knew it was a mistake to let him go!"

"What happened, Mom? Is Daniel alright?" Cassie wondered.

"He was taken prisoner to what sounds like a female space pirate," Janet replied. "And Cynthia with him."

"That's terrible! Is anyone hurt?"

"No, everyone's fine. Though apparently Daniel slapped the pirate in the face."

"Way to go Daniel!" Cassie responded exuberantly. "Let's eat and try not to worry for a while, okay Mom?"

"Let's try that," Janet agreed. "And you can tell me what you got up to with the friends you were visiting this morning." Cassie was saved from answering by the door chiming yet again. "Now what?" She flung the door open to find nervous-looking visitors. One was a short and very tan young man with untidy light brown hair and familiar yet strange eyes. The other was a slightly taller girl with very dark skin and long hair, almost black. She seemed about the same age but less nervous.

"Janet Frasier?" Ivan asked. He recognised her, but he had to be certain.

"Yes. Can I help you?" She didn't feel like being helpful, but she felt that she knew him from somewhere.

"Mom."

She immediately knew who he was. "Ivan! My baby, you came to me!" She quickly wrapped him in a fierce – and a bit embarrassing for him – hug. Leah couldn't help but smirk, until her eyes met Cassie's. The two girls looked at each other warily.

"Can I breathe please?" Ivan eventually asked.

"Of course. Sorry, I've missed you." Janet released her son who she hadn't seen since he was a baby. Then she realised something else that had to be said. "Happy Birthday, Ivan."

"You remember my birthday?" He seemed surprised.

"Of course, I'm your mother. I even have cake. You should come inside." She noticed Leah for the first time since realising Ivan's identity. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Leah. Leah Lincoln. Leah, this is my mom, Janet Frasier." Then he explained, "She came with me 'cos… she's kinda in trouble."

"Oh?" Janet raised an eyebrow, almost as well as Teal'c.

"I – It's nothing bad," Leah quickly corrected. "I mean, it is, but… well, that is – it's not…"

"Someone wants her dead," Ivan quickly filled in.

"Then you'd better come in. I hope you're hungry."

"Yep, we are," Ivan replied with a good-natured smile. "Um, who's this?"

Janet realised she had an introduction to make. "This is my daughter Cassandra. Cassie, meet my son, Ivan Sage." She was a little reluctant to speak her ex-husband's family name.

"Uh, hi, Cassie. I wasn't really expecting a little sister, especially a taller one."

"Actually, she's older than you too," Janet corrected.

"Pardon?"

"Adopted. Nice to finally meet you, Ivan. Mom's told me about you," Cassie told her brother pleasantly. She offered him her hand, and she shook it. He didn't seem to react so well. "Ivan? Are you alright?" She thought he looked shocked, and a little lost.

"Uh, I'm alright. Just hungry," he covered.

"Then take a seat. There should be plenty of food. We already had too much, and then Sam had to go."

"Sam? A boyfriend?" Ivan pretended to wonder.

"No, she's a Samantha. One of our best friends. She's a scientist and works for the Air Force with my mom. Our mom, I mean," Cassie explained and corrected.

"Air Force? You're in the Air Force, Mom?"

Janet nodded as she began setting plates of food on the table. "I'm chief medical officer over at the Cheyenne Mountain base."

"That sounds interesting," Leah commented.

"It is, but I can't tell you anything about it. Doctor-Patient confidentiality, you know."

"Oh, I was hoping you could tell us some stories. Hey, is that an engagement ring?" Leah had spotted the shiny stone on their host's finger.

Janet nodded. "I was given it yesterday."

"Ooh, who is he?"

"His name's Daniel Jackson. One of my worst patients, actually. He's a civilian contractor to the Air Force."

"Doing what?" Leah pressed.

"Translations. He's an archaeologist and linguist and knows a lot of languages. I can't tell you any more than that."

Ivan was thoughtful. "When do I get to meet this guy?"

"I'm not sure. He's out of the country at the moment, and I don't know when he'll get back."

"Oh."

"So… what brings you back to me, Ivan?" Janet asked her son. "I don't think your father would be happy with you coming to see me."

"No, he wouldn't, but I had to. He… he's said a lot of bad things about you over the years, and I was starting to think that perhaps they weren't true. Now that I'm 18, he can't get me back, so I don't have to worry about the consequences. And… now that I've met you, I can see that he must have been lying." He could see that in more ways than one.

"What did he say about me?" Janet asked slowly. She would rather have not found out, but she had to know, for Ivan's sake.

Ivan helped himself to some chips before revealing, "The worst thing he said was that you tried to kill me, before I was born."

"I'm not surprised," Janet answered. "He threatened to have me convicted of that if I didn't let him keep you."

"But you didn't do it."

"No, but he did. He said he could blame it on me, and since he had a few friends in high places, I was afraid he might succeed."

"Why did he do it?"

"He had some… issues. Control issues. He married me after he got me pregnant because he wanted to be sure he could bring you up properly. But then he later decided I would be a bad mother for his child, after a petty disagreement. So he tried poisoning us. When that failed, he threatened he'd have it pinned on me if I didn't agree to a divorce and let him have you. I was happy to be rid of him, but not you. Then I was worried that he might try to harm me, so I joined the Air Force."

"You're right about the control issues," Ivan agreed. "Otherwise, he's generally decent."

Janet nodded. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have looked twice at him in the first place."

"Yeah. So, what did he try poisoning me with?"

"He slipped me some drugs. Don't know how he got them, as he was never a user."

"Yeah, he's clean," Ivan agreed.

"Fortunately, whatever it was, it didn't cause me any lasting problems, and you survived too."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ivan lied. "Hey, where'd the girls go?" He looked around and found that Cassie and Leah had swiped a couple of plates and were chatting quietly in front of the TV, which wasn't turned on.

"I think they saw we needed some privacy," Janet realised.

"True. Say, is it alright if we stay for a couple of nights, until we figure out what we're going to do?" he asked.

"Of course. But we only have one spare room."

"I'll sleep on the couch," he volunteered.

"No, Leah can have my room," Cassie offered, having picked up on the words 'spare room'.

"Are you sure?" Leah asked.

"Sure I'm sure. Can we put a movie on now?"

"I don't see any reason not to," Janet agreed.

As the only male, Ivan couldn't help but groan at the thought of what they might choose.

At the SGC…

"Sam, Jacob, I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Except that Janet told me you were on your way."

"Sam?" Jacob questioned.

"I told you, I'm out of his chain of command, so he's gradually starting to call me by my first name," Sam explained.

"And was this before or after you broke up with Pete?"

"After. Can we stay on track, Dad?"

"Sorry. Jack, I've got some bad news for you." Jacob had naturally left Jack waiting as he wanted to tell his daughter first.

"The Tok'ra need our help again?"

"No, Jack. Selmak's dying."

"Selmak? Dying?"

"Selmak is one of the oldest of the Tok'ra. While they have long lifespans, they don't live as long as the Goa'uld."

"Because they don't use the sarcophagus," Jack followed.

"Precisely. But she's had a full life, so she's not afraid to go. Especially now that she's seen several system lords fall."

"Can't Selmak speak for herself?"

"No, she's saving her strength so she can leave safely. But she's thankful for the help the Tau'ri have given the Tok'ra."

"Tell her the galaxy is welcome. But I've got some bad news of my own, which is why I was on the phone with Janet."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"We got word from General Hammond. Prometheus is returning to Earth."

"Prometheus?" Jacob questioned.

"A mission to the Pegasus galaxy, to see what's happening to the Atlantis expedition," Sam explained. "What went wrong?"

"They were suckered by a phony distress call. It was actually a pirate who proceeded to dump everyone in an Al'kesh and make off with Prometheus. Actually, she missed Daniel and Cynthia, and they succeeded in taking her down, but then she got the upper hand and sold the ship to a couple of aliens. But the rest of the crew got the Al'kesh going and took Prometheus back, after destroying a couple of other Al'kesh and some gliders which followed them. Then a Ha'tak showed up and they got out of there as soon as hyperdrive was working. Because of the damage sustained – the shields were minimal and didn't stop everything – they're heading back to Earth."

Sam digested this fascinating tale. She knew there had to be a catch. "What about Cynthia and Daniel?"

"They're still prisoners of 'Vala the space pirate'. Hammond sent a gate address of the planet the trade took place on, so I can send a team to check it out."

"Do we know if she hurt them?"

"She only used a zat on the crew, though she was dressed in full super-soldier dress, including those nasty wrist blasters. She did shoot Danny once, but immediately healed him with some mini Goa'uld healing gadget. Says she's a former host, and seemed to act the part too. Though she did later tell him a whopper about rescuing her people. On the other hand, Dannyboy lied to her plenty too. She let Cynthia take her laptop along, and Daniel has a GDO, so I don't think she's particularly violent, and they have a chance of escaping on their own."

"Hold on, who's Cynthia?" Jacob wondered.

"Jack, would you like to explain?"

"Well, she's our new stargate expert and genius inventor. She's only fifteen, but she's very intelligent, since her mother is a genius astrophysicist and her father has the Ancient gene and is a USAF general."

"Your long-lost grandaughter," Sam added quietly.

"You do have a lot of explaining to do, as soon as I'm back from the infirmary. Selmak says goodbye... and congratulations." Jacob's expression was unreadable, because he was feeling so many things at the same time.

"That went well," said Jack to Sam as her father left.

Sam nodded. "We caught him at a time when he couldn't do anything. Speaking of doing things, I should really call Janet, and then we have a MALP to send."

"Sure you don't want to watch Selmak's last moments?"

"I'd rather not, and Dad told me one of the other Tok'ra is here to see that everything... happens as it should." It was impossible to say 'everything goes well' since a death was involved. "I can't remember his name. Their names."

"Neither can I and I met them. Well, I met the snake. The host wasn't talking. And you were about to talk to Janet."

_At Janet's place..._

Janet Frasier decided the evening was going well, apart from Sam's absence. She'd expected to spend the evening seeking comfort for her son's absence, but actually seeing him was far better. He seemed to be a pleasant young man, though troubled and not very forthcoming. For a reason she could not fathom, he often appeared to let his mind wander, and briefly forget where he was. Leah seemed normal enough, and did seem to be truthful about being a schoolfriend who hadn't seen Ivan for a few years. The girl didn't give an explanation for the trouble she was fleeing, and Janet didn't see the need to press.

Sam rang part way through the movie, explaining vaguely why she couldn't return. Janet was happy to tell her friend the good news that her son had showed up, and promised to explain the back-story as soon as possible. The movie eventually finished, much to Ivan's relief. This was partly because he wasn't interested in the first place and partly because he'd made the mistake of using his 'gift' to see how it ended.

Ivan had considered amusing himself by spoiling the end, but he wasn't that mean. Also, it quickly became obvious that all the women had seen it before. Besides, the only way to explain how he knew the ending without revealing his ability – which he was reluctant to do – was to claim to have seen it before, which was something he absolutely refused to consider. Even with the movie running, he enjoyed the good-humoured atmosphere, and the company of his mother and adopted sister, who seemed like nice people from what he could see with his normal senses. Leah was interesting to have around as well. Thinking of which, he had to talk to her alone some time soon.

"Can we put another one on?" Cassie asked, as the movie was over.

Janet shook her head. "I don't want anyone having a late night. I need to be at the base early tomorrow, and you need to drive back to school."

"Studying medicine so I can be a doctor like Mom," Cassie explained. "But Emma's driving too," she added, referring to a friend who also lived in Colorado Springs.

"I still want you in bed soon. I don't want you keeping our guests up."

"Actually, it's not so late for us, with the time change," Leah mentioned.

Ivan nodded. "Actually, I'd like to take a walk around the neighbourhood."

"Good idea, I'll take my camera."

"You want to take pictures in the dark?" Cassie wondered.

"It's what I do."

"Not if you're staying here, you don't. If you want to sleep here, you'll do it now," Janet ordered. She wasn't about to let any teenagers roam around on their own, not on her watch.

"We should sing 'Happy Birthday' one more time before we go to bed!" Cassie suggested.

Ivan managed not to groan, but only because he'd been expecting her to say it.


	5. Seeking and Finding Truth

Chapter 5 – Seeking and Finding Truth

_Next morning, at the SGC..._

"General, what's the word on Daniel and Cynthia?" Janet asked, shortly after arriving on the base.

"Not a lot, I'm afraid," Jack replied. "We sent a MALP and made contact with some of the local traders. They're familiar with this Vala character, but haven't heard from her recently, and don't know where she might be. However they promised to contact us if they hear anything."

Janet hoped more was being done. "Are we sending a search team through?"

"We were warned the region is rather volatile, so we're not sending anyone through until we have some solid intel. However, we are in the process of informing all our allies, so there's a chance that one of them will find something," Jack explained. "Don't worry, we'll get Danny back." He personally wanted to scour the planet, but there was no way to know whether his daughter and friend were anywhere near it.

"I'm sure you will everything in your power. I should be going to supervise the unpacking of a shipment of medical supplies. But first, could you explain where you got that bruise on your jaw?" Janet asked curiously.

Jack unconsciously touched the tender area. "After Selmak left, Jacob got a little worked up."

"Ah, a protective father."

"Grandfather, actually. He wasn't happy that I let his granddaughter take a trip to another galaxy without telling him she exists first. Even though Sam didn't tell him about her for the past sixteen years. It's a good thing the Tok'ra wanted him back for a mission in a hurry, or I might have a black eye as well." He grinned at the thought of the Tok'ra being useful for a change.

"I hope you've learned something from this," Janet replied as a parting shot.

_Meanwhile…_

"What do you mean you lost her?" Charlotte Mayfield demanded. She didn't understand how a single teenaged girl could elude the killers she'd sent.

"She never came home last night, Boss," the frightened underling replied.

Mayfield groaned at the display of incompetence. "She must have seen you or one of your men."

"But we never saw her!"

"That's obvious. I suggest you find her before I decide to replace you. Check airline records – she may well have left completely."

"Yes boss, I won't fail you again."

"See that you don't." Athena watched as the man left. She hoped there were no more complications, as she didn't want to change delivery routes again if at all possible. At least everything else had gone according to plan. One photographer claiming to have seen a UFO wasn't really a big deal, but she knew she had to make sure it didn't become one. Hopefully her operations in the rest of the galaxy would run this smoothly.

Perhaps it was time that she saw to it in person. After careful consideration, she decided it would be wise to accompany the next shipment.

_At Janet's home…_

"It was great meeting you, Cassie!"

"You too, Leah. I wish I could stay longer, but I can't argue with med-school timetables," Cassie replied. She was sad that she had to leave so quickly after making a new friend.

"Take care, Sis," said Ivan as he put the last of his new-found sister's bags in the back of her car. He was secretly glad that she was finally leaving, so he could speak to Leah privately.

"Will do. I hope everything goes well for you. It was nice to finally meet you." She was genuinely glad that her mother had found her stolen son, and she knew she didn't need to worry about competing for her mother's attention. However, she figured he might need to be told that.

"Thanks. I'll see you around, hey?" Ivan answered.

"Yep. You too, Leah, I hope." Cassie still didn't know what the girl was running from, but she hoped she'd be able to stick around. Especially since she seemed to get on well with Ivan.

Leah smiled and shrugged pleasantly. "Who knows?" There was a possibility that the people after her might try to chase her down, but she hoped Ivan would be able to warn her before that happened. In the meantime, she could work as a photographer pretty much anywhere, and around Ivan should be the safest place.

"Ivan, be good for Mom, and always remember she loves you," Cassie told her brother, before driving away with a wave and a smile. She still had to pick up her friend Emma before the trip really started.

Ivan watched as the car departed. "What's your impression of her?" he asked Leah.

"Cassie? Nice girl. Smart and friendly. Wouldn't know she's from Canada if she hadn't told me."

"She's not from Canada," Ivan revealed.

"She isn't?"

"She's never been there."

Leah was surprised that the girl had lied, and didn't quite believe it yet. "You saw that about her, did you?"

"I saw a lot about her, and my mom. I had trouble sleeping, and it's given me a headache."

"Perhaps you should relax for a bit," Leah suggested. "You've been tense since last night."

Ivan shrugged. "You'd be tense too if you knew what I know."

"About Cassie?" his friend asked.

"Partly. It goes way beyond her."

"What does?"

"Leah, the Air Force have an alien device called a 'stargate'. They use it to send teams on secret missions to other planets. Regularly."

Leah shook her head. "Ivan, knowing what departure gate our flight will have is one thing. Claiming there's an alien conspiracy is another."

"You're the one who photographed a UFO. By the way, I think that was an alien cargo ship. But I have no idea why someone was secretly loading stuff into one. Couldn't be anything sanctioned or they could easily sent things through the stargate. Perhaps…"

Leah didn't see the point. "Ivan. What does this have to do with Cassie?"

"Oh, Cassie. She's from another planet. The Air Force designate it as P8X987 and the locals called it Hanka. She's the sole survivor after their false goddess Nirti infected them with a plague to try to stop us or anyone else from discovering the genetic experiments she'd been running on the population."

"Riiiight." It sounded rather farfetched.

"I'm telling the truth, Leah."

"Well she looks rather human to me. How can she be from another planet?"

"Lots of groups of humans have been taken from Earth to other planets, as slaves and such. Nirti was one of a race called the Goa'uld, which are parasitical creatures which live in human hosts, controlling their bodies and using advanced technology to pose as gods. The Air Force has killed off several of them, and they've tried to attack Earth lots of times," Ivan explained.

"You're saying that the Air Force is not only trying to cover up a device that lets them go to other planets, but also the existence of powerful alien enemies and a war with those aliens? That's a bit extreme."

"Well it's true. My mom is the Chief Medical Officer at the base so she treats a lot of alien diseases, alien-inflicted wounds, and aliens. Last time she went to another planet, she was nearly killed by alien weapon-fire."

The girl was still rather doubtful. "You're sure all these visions of yours are real?"

"Pretty sure. I could have asked Cassie if she was really born on a planet called Hanka – just to be sure – but I didn't want to show my hand. If they know we know, they'll lock us up until we sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"Us? Great, I never expected you would get me in trouble with the military." She was a bit annoyed that she'd become entangled in this situation.

"Well I think we have a lot more to worry about from whoever was behind the 'alien smuggling' you saw. I expect they're far less scrupulous."

"If you say so. I still don't really believe you."

"Remember that Naval carrier group that was inexplicably destroyed last year, along with various communications disruptions? Or those two bright lights in the sky a few years back? Those were both alien invasion attempts, which fortunately were thwarted."

Leah didn't know how to deal with this knowledge. "Okay, supposing I believe you, what do we do about this? Are we suppose to just forget about it?"

"I think we should go public with what we know. The world deserves to know what's out there, and what's really happening here. There's so much about human history that's been covered up, and a lot of alien technology that's being kept from us." Additionally, being the person who let the world know about alien cover-ups was far more interesting than his former life in his father's store.

"That's a good point, but won't we get in trouble?" Leah was visibly worried about the repercussions. She'd already made one enemy, and didn't want the entire USAF after her as well.

"We'll be okay if we stay anonymous for now. And once people start believing it, it's too late for them to do anything because we'll be heroes."

"Sounds reasonable. Does your mom have a computer? No, bad idea. We need to find a Net Café so you can write up the story and send it to lots of newspapers."

"Uh, I'm not much of a writer." That was in fact an understatement. He was quite awful at expressing himself in writing.

"I can help. Your mom gave you a house-key, right?" She'd still been half asleep when Dr Frasier left, so she was still fuzzy on the details. Leaving the house without a key was definitely out.

"Yeah, she said to keep out of trouble and try finding a job."

"We're not going to get into any more trouble than before," Leah reasoned. "And if this makes us famous we might not need jobs."

Ivan was hoping the same thing, but wasn't certain it would work. "We'll see about that. Do you think we should name names or just explain the truth in general? I'd rather not make it too personal."

"Yeah, it would be better not to give any names out yet. We don't want them hounded by the press. They're busy saving the world, right?"

"They are, and they're good at it too."

"Well, it's settled. Let's do this."

"Before my headache gets any worse," Ivan agreed. "Say, did I mention that they guy my mom is engaged to is actually the man who figured out how to use the stargate?"

Leah shook her head. "You didn't mention that."

"He's also died a few times and is currently missing. He was taken by a space pirate who had hijacked an Earth-build spaceship named Prometheus which was on its way to the Lost City of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy."

Leah didn't buy it. "Yeah, now you're really kidding me. Next you're gonna tell me Cassandra has alien superpowers."

"Funny you should mention that."

_At the Alpha Site..._

Sam arrived in the Alpha Site gate-room and quickly made her way to the lab which was reserved for the Replicator project. "Hi Jen," she greeted her assistant.

"Sam, you're back! How's things on Earth?" Jennifer Hailey inquired, looking up from the computer.

The lieutenant colonel frowned. "Not so good. Cynthia and Daniel have been captured by a space pirate, and Selmac died of old age. On the good side, Janet's long-lost son has showed up and Jack thinks this project has good potential."

This was shocking news. "Daniel and Cynthia were captured? I thought they would have been on Prometheus in hyperspace."

"They answered a distress call. It was a trap. It's a long story, but the result is that Prometheus is back and our allies are looking out for any sign of them. We can talk about it later. How goes the simulations?"

"They're looking good Ma'am. We'll be able to order the Replicators to replicate, form a ship, set a course through hyperspace, board a ship or enter a stronghold, and hunt down a Goa'uld. We can give specific orders to an individual bug, including self destruct. They are of course immune to energy weapons, so they will be able to safely ignore Jaffa."

"Sounds good. What tests are running now?"

"One computer is simulating their attack strategies, and another is checking the hyperdrive parameters. We want to be sure we understand their capabilities and know the safe limits so they don't get out of control or simply fail."

"Out of control?" That sounded worrying.

"If we have more than a few hundred individually-acting bugs in a battle situation, it will be difficult for a group of operators to keep track of them all. We might then be unable to prevent them from attacking the wrong thing, if they're in a battle mode. That won't be a problem unless we have them fighting a large number of enemies alongside allies. Since we only want them to infiltrate, explore, and take down a single Goa'uld, the current programming will be fine."

"So it would be a bad idea to use them as backup for an SG team in a skirmish against the Jaffa," Sam figured.

"Exactly. Until we work on the friend/foe detection. Perhaps it would be alright to make them attack anything which attacks them more than once in a given period of time. That should prevent friendly-fire becoming an issue. Though we'd need to give them some better weaponry first. Currently the only options are mauling enemies to death or dissolving them with Replicator spray, and neither of those are particularly humane."

Sam was satisfied that the programming was suitable for the current situation. As for the 'humane' issue, she didn't really mind how they killed the Goa'uld. If they wanted to use the Replicators against any other living beings, they would cross that bridge when they came to it. "What about the loudspeaker idea?"

"I'm still working on that. It'll take a little more programming, but the concept is sound. We'll definitely be able to speak through the Replicators and make contact with prisoners of the Goa'uld or recruit Jaffa rebels or that sort of thing."

"I'll let you get back to it. I'll work on the activation/reprogramming process and try to figure out the power issue."

"Still stumped?"

"I don't see how they can form a hyperspace-capable ship, or vastly improve the speed of an existing hyperdrive, yet they can't recover from being shot a few times. Somehow they are able to generate power, but it's dependent on the number of interconnected blocks," Sam theorised.

"Perhaps it relates to their subspace link? They can use it to draw power when they are operating in direct proximity, but when they are separated they can only use the residual charges they have stored," Jen guessed.

"It might have something to do with kerons. I suppose it doesn't matter, so long as a naquadah generator is enough to get them started and they can get themselves to hyperspace without needing an additional external power source."

"Anecdotal evidence suggests that it shouldn't be a problem. Once we get this working, the Goa'uld won't stand a chance."

Sam shook her head. "Not at first, but don't count them out just yet. They're sure to find a new way to make life difficult for us."

_Later, on Earth…_

"This is getting bad," Cassandra Frasier commented, having to raise her voice to be heard over the torrential rain.

"What little I can see," Emma shouted back. Visibility was in fact quite low, due to the sheets of rain which were pouring onto the road. The windscreen wipers were barely effective at removing the flood of water.

"We should pull over," Cassie suggested. The car was already going quite slow, in order to stay on the road despite the gusts of wind and torrents of water.

"Yeah, this isn't gonna let up any time soon." Emma gradually slowed and eased the vehicle off the side of the road. The fuel tank was fairly full, so she left the engine running, so they could keep the lights and heater on without draining the battery. The lights were mainly on so no one ran into them, as there was very little to see apart from a million raindrops and the ominous banks of clouds overhead. Some patches of light hinted at houses on the other side of the road, and some dark shapes indicated electricity poles ahead and behind.

"Maybe we should get to shelter," Cassie proposed. "We don't know how long we'll need to stay in here."

"Nah, we can last it out. The moment we open a door, we'll be soaking wet, and I'd rather not try crossing the road with visibility this low," Emma replied. "We'll be fine here. If we leave the car we'll catch our deaths of cold."

The girls quickly discovered that crossing the road would have been a bad idea, as a car shot by far faster than was safe. The driver must not have understood the word 'caution', as the car lost traction and slewed sideways, the rear end impacting with the next power pole.

Staying in the car wasn't much better. The wooden pole toppled, dragging down the powerlines. While the pole landed nowhere near the car, the live wires were another matter entirely. Emma watched helplessly as the wires were drawn downwards to the car. They draped neatly over the roof and sent their electrical current through the new path to ground.

AN: Sorry about the delay, I've been a bit preoccupied/distracted for the past week. Next chapter should be a lot quicker than this one!!


	6. Damage Control

Chapter 6 – Damage Control

There was a bright flash, which caused the occupants to cringe. "Oops, I think I short circuited something," said Vala as she looked over the non-functional engine. "This is harder than it looks."

"Try reversing the polarity," Cynthia jokingly suggested.

"The polarity of what? There isn't any polarity," Vala replied. "Just bits of… what did you call it? Alu-something."

"Aluminium foil," Daniel provided. "I told you not to eat while working."

"I couldn't help it. This 'chocolate' is quite delicious. Do you have any more?"

"No, we don't have much of anything. Just enough bottled water to last a month," he replied in annoyance.

"Maybe if your people had labelled those crates…"

"They did," Daniel cut in, exasperated.

"Well I'm sorry I can't read 'bar codes'. Hmm, I don't think I did any damage, apart from blowing yet another fuse. I think I've got all the foil out."

"You'd better make sure, we don't want to run out of fuses," said Cynthia as she fidgeted with a couple of burned-out crystals.

The dark-haired pirate closed the engine cover and tried starting it again. It whirred to life various controls began to flash or beep. "Hmm, looks like we have about half power, not that we can do much with it yet. If I can get the thrusters going, we'll be able to at least get around to a repair shop."

"Perhaps if you let me plug my computer it…"

"No, it would take too long to make a power adapter. Besides, I'm not about to let you plug any of your primitive technology into my ship."

Cynthia pouted. If she could get her laptop running, she would be able to access far superior technology, though she wasn't about to admit it. "Can I look at the thrusters?"

"Perhaps later. I need to figure out what's wrong before we can try fixing them. You'll only get in the way."

"Is there anything left to eat?"

"Not unless you like the taste of naquadah," Daniel grumbled.

"Perhaps I can find something edible outside. I think there might be rabbit burrows nearby. At least, I hope they are."

"I think you'd better stay in the ship," Vala answered. "You're not exactly dressed for hunting. Those pink and white stripes must be visible from orbit."

"Perhaps I'll fix the ship myself and get Daniel to toss you out to fend for yourself," Cynthia retorted boldly.

"You really don't want to go near the city without me, and I don't think you'll get off this planet without some replacement parts. Unless this is supposed to help fix the ship." She waved Daniel's GDO which she'd pinched from his pocket.

"No, that doesn't do anything. Can I have it back?" Daniel asked with a worried tone.

"It doesn't look like a weapon," she muttered. "Perhaps I can pull it to bits for spare parts."

"No! Don't break it."

"Oh, so it's important. Perhaps if you tell me what it is, I'll let you have it back."

"It's used to deactivate the defences on my planet's stargate. We need it to get home," Daniel admitted.

"Defences?"

"Uh, we have a shield to stop matter from reintegrating. If we don't enter the correct code, attempting to travel to Earth will be quite fatal. It's rather useful when we're being chased by Jaffa or the Goa'uld are trying to bomb us."

Vala was curious about this. "Does that happen a lot?"

"Too often. We keep killing off System Lords, so they don't like us very much. Can I have it back now?"

"No. I'd prefer if you didn't try to escape, so I'll hang onto this. You can have it back after you help me find a decently sized stash of treasure. Now, are you going to keep complaining, or can I finish fixing the ship so we can get out of here?"

Daniel sighed. "You'll be finished sooner if you let Cynthia help more."

"Actually, I'd prefer if she kept an eye on the long-range scanners while you look for something to eat. I believe this area has fruit trees." Vala opened the door and gestured for Daniel to exit. "Make sure you don't get lost."

_Back on Earth…_

Emma slowly opened her eyes. The rain was still pouring as before. She could see the downed power lines on the ground beside the car, though they were barely visible. How they had come to be there, she wasn't sure. "That was a close one. I thought we were toast."

Cassie didn't reply.

"Cassie, are you alright?" Emma saw that her friend had slumped forward in her seat. She quickly determined that the girl was breathing and her heart was beating strongly. "Hey, wake up. You must have been zapped or something, she said as she shook her friend's shoulder slightly.

Cassie stirred groaned slightly.

"Can you hear me, Cassie?"

"Ow." The teen's eyelids fluttered. "That hurt."

"Did you get an electric shock?"

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Well something definitely happened. The lights are out and the heater stopped. And the dashboard clock is dead too. But the wires are on the ground. Maybe the wind blew them off or the pole swung around," Emma reasoned. Neither explanation was very satisfactory, but she couldn't think of anything else. "Are you in any pain?"

"Headache."

"For how long?"

"Since it happened."

"Strange."

"Yeah."

"I should call for help," Emma stated wisely. She dug out her cell phone to call the police and ambulance. "Looks like my phone is dead. I can't get it to turn on. Can I borrow yours?"

"Sure." Cassie pulled her phone out of her handbag to find it was dead as well. "Or maybe not."

"Let's hope whoever's in the other car has more success. In any case, they'll send someone out to see why the power is out. We'll be alright."

Cassandra nodded slowly. She was feeling rather drained and didn't want to talk much. Fortunately the other driver had a working phone, so the sound of sirens was soon heard over the sound of the downpour. An ambulance approached the damaged car and the police set up warning lights to prevent anyone from hitting it, since it was partly on the road.

Emma wound down her window slightly when a cop approached the car. "You ought to have your lights on," he said sternly.

"Sorry, but they stopped working when the power lines landed on the car," Emma replied. "How many were in the other car? Is anyone hurt?"

"Only the driver in the car. Possible cracked rib and slight concussion is the worst of it. He was well enough to use his phone, and said your car was already here when he crashed."

Emma nodded. "We pulled off the road because of the weather, so we saw the whole thing. He was going much too fast and skidded sideways. The back hit the pole and knocked it down. I think the wires hit our car, but they fell off."

"Any injuries?"

"I'm unhurt, but my friend developed a headache when the power line thing happened. I thought it was going to land on the roof, but I guess it didn't."

The cop glanced at the roof and saw a black scorch mark. "It looks like something did hit your roof, unless the it was already damaged."

"It wasn't," Cassie clarified. "It's my car."

"It must have bounced off, after killing your lights," the cop guessed.

"Our phones are both dead as well," Emma supplied. "And Cassie was briefly unconscious."

"We'll check her out at the hospital. I'll need to see your drivers license of course."

Emma held the requested item up to the window and the policeman examined it with his torch. "She shouldn't need an ambulance," she commented.

"No, I can give her a ride in my squad car, and take you down to the station to get a formal statement on the accident."

"What about all our luggage? We need to have it delivered to our dorm room," Emma worried.

"Once we're through with the car you can have the tow company deal with that. Though they won't be coming out in this weather." Satisfied with the situation, he radioed the others to update them with the details.

_Later, in the g__eneral's office, SGC…_

Jack picked up the red phone the moment it rang. "General O'Neill speaking." He was in a fairly good mood, though he was anxious that there had been no news about Cynthia and Daniel.

"This is the president. There's been a security leak."

Uh oh. Why couldn't they have one drama at a time? "How bad?"

"Seriously bad. Someone's posted a document to several online news sites, and quite likely distributed it to the newspapers as well. It covers the stargate, the Goa'uld, Replicators, Tok'ra, Asgard, Atlantis and Prometheus, pretty much everything under Homeworld Security. There's not a lot of detail, just the general outline. Thankfully it doesn't mention any names."

"Is there any proof, or is it just speculation?" If the latter was the case, the situation would be far more easily salvageable.

"There's a few pictures which are described as a Goa'uld cargo ship flying and cloaking, but they were taken at night from a long distance, so they aren't incontrovertible."

"Odd. You'd think someone would know better than publish crazy theories without decent proof." Then again, Daniel had done something like that, back in the days before the SGC had existed.

"It is puzzling that someone could know so much about the program and not have access to any hard evidence, unless they're keeping it under their hat," Hayes agreed. "I've got people trying to track down who sent this, but I thought I should warn you."

"I appreciate that. I suppose the official stance is 'no comment'?"

"It is. Outright denial would make us worse off if the program was completely exposed later. As it is, there will be a lot of suspicious people, but I don't expect many mainstream papers will print it, and most people will write it off as a crazy conspiracy theory dreamed up by someone with too little sanity and too much Wormhole X-treme. As long as we stop this leak before anything concrete gets out, this should die down fairly quickly."

"Here's to hoping. I'll do some digging and see if I can find who did this. I would assume it wasn't the NID or the Trust, as they prefer to operate in secret. Perhaps it's someone who wants the SGC shut down and either doesn't care what happens to the gate, or else is in position to gain control of it from us."

"I'm not so sure. It actually puts us in a fairly good light, listing the times we've saved the world and the Goa'ulds that were already on Earth which we stopped."

"Perhaps it's a family member of someone at the SGC who knows too much and believes the rest of the world should know too."

"Speaking of family, is there any news on your daughter?"

"Nothing new. But I've heard from the Alpha Site, and Sam says the Replicator Project is ready for your approval."

"And she's confident that we can terminate the Goa'ulds without collateral damage?"

"Apart from the hosts, yes. The other option is to capture them alive and ship the lot of them off to the Tok'ra, or Cimmeria."

"Cimmeria?"

"That's the place with Thor's Goa'uld-removing hammer, Sir," Jack explained.

"I would prefer if we could rescue the hosts, considering that they are innocent humans. Prisoners of the Goa'uld, if you will."

"That's a noble sentiment, Sir, but most of the hosts will be so old that they won't survive extraction, and even if they did, I can't imagine they'd have much of a life. I don't think we have anyone qualified to give therapy to people who've been hosts for centuries. The two we have freed were only hosts for a few years."

"I'd feel more comfortable if we gave them a choice," Hayes stated.

"If we capture Goa'ulds, their allies and loyal Jaffa may attempt to rescue them. It's much less risk to finish them once and for all, in front of their followers. But we do have tranq darts that work on Goa'ulds, and zats sometimes allow the host to briefly surface. It's possible we could ask questions first and shoot later, so to speak."

"If it's possible, do it, but if not, don't worry. I want that project launched, and soon. I'd prefer to be able to tell the world we have a way to fight the Goa'uld, if I have to tell them anything."

"Good thinking. Working on a speech already, I take it?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"Then I'll leave you to it. I'll relay your concerns to Carter, and see what I can do about this leak, Sir."

"Thanks, General. Since General Hammond is back in Washington, you can update him if you have any findings."

"I'll do that. Good luck, Sir."

"The same to you, General."

Jack put the phone down and groaned. A security leak was the last thing he needed. But before dealing with that can of worms, he had to speak with Sam. He quickly walked to the control room and requested a subspace link with the Alpha Site. "Hi Sam, how are the bugs?"

"They should be ready for activation tomorrow. Have you heard from the president?" Sam asked.

"Yep, he says he wants the project launched soon. However he would prefer if we could try rescuing the hosts or at least talk to them before taking extreme measures. Is there an easy way to knock the snakes out with a zat or those tranq darts? The pres wants us to ask if they'd rather die outright or be shipped off to the Tok'ra or Thor's Hammer, which is likely to kill them regardless."

"We can try, but there's no guarantees. I can do it, but letting a host talk isn't an exact science yet."

"It's a pity the Tollan's wouldn't share their toys. If only they could see us now."

"It's also a pity Janet hasn't completed her refinements to the symbiote poison. If she found a way to make it work properly…"

"Yeah, well we don't have time to wait. Some idiot has posted a bunch of info on the internet about the SGC. Not many details, and no names, and fortunately no proof, so we're hoping it will blow over. But if it does come out…"

"The president would rather tell the world that we're beating the Goa'uld," Sam finished.

"Exactly. That said, I don't want you activating any Replicators if you're not absolutely certain they're under your control," Jack ordered.

"Of course not, Jack. Lieutenant Hailey and I are quite certain we've found a safe activation procedure. We're even allowing for the possibility that Thor didn't erase every block, by completely erasing them ourselves and clearing any data that's in their subspace network buffers."

"Ahh, hearing that makes me feel so much better. Who's our lucky first target?"

"Bastet. Her territory is one of the closer regions to the Alpha Site, but not the closest. It's not too big a target for a first strike, but not insignificant either."

"Is Teal'c planning to give Basket's Jaffa one of his famous freedom speeches?"

"Yes, he'll be 'gating in from Chulak tomorrow morning. The loudspeaker system is ready for live testing."

"Excellent! This is exactly what we've been trying to do every since the SGC started. I must say, I'm proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without Cynthia," Sam admitted. "And we're equally responsible for her existence," she added cheekily. She was trying to cover how worried she felt for her daughter.

"Don't worry, Daniel will take good care of her."

"But who will take care of Daniel?" Sam wondered.

"Daniel will be fine. They'll escape soon, or he'll talk his way out of whatever mess they're in. At least that pirate woman didn't sound like someone who'd be working with the Goa'uld."

"Have our prisoners talked yet?"

"The alien traders who 'bought' Prometheus? They don't have anything useful to say, apart from demanding their naquadah and a ship. Perhaps we can get Teal'c to work his magic on them once he's finished recruiting."

"I'll pass the request on to him tomorrow. Before I forget to ask: should we send Bastet to Thor's Hammer or the Tok'ra?"

"The Tok'ra," Jack decided after careful mental deliberation. "If we make nice with them, they might tell us where their operatives are so we don't inadvertently capture any. Only if the host wants to try living free, of course."

"I'll see what I can do. And I'll see you in a few days, Jack, after the first strike is completed."

"Don't be too long. It's quiet around here with you and Teal'c off-world, Danny and Cynthia missing, and Hammond in Washington." What he really meant was 'lonely', but he wasn't about to admit to that.

"I'll be home as soon as this is done. Try not to bother Janet too much."

"Why would I do that?" Jack answered, feigning innocence.

"Just try not to pester her too much. She's recently met her son for the first time since he was a baby, so…"

"Isn't that a little cliché, Sam?"

"Perhaps, just go easy on her, okay?"

"I'll be an angel. Now, I've got a leak to plug, so I'll let you get back to Goa'uld slaying. Have fun."

"As always, Jack."

As the general returned to his office, he decided to make an effort to keep out of Janet's hair for a few days, as he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a large needle. However, when he reached his door, he found the woman in question waiting outside, looking concerned. "Doc, what can I do for you?" he asked, waving her into the office.

Janet entered and took a seat. "It's Cassandra. She and Emma were caught in a storm and pulled off the road. Another car knocked over a power pole and the wires seem to have contacted her car and damaged all the electronics."

The doctor didn't sound particularly upset, so Jack wasn't too worried. "Are the girls alright?"

"They're unharmed, apart from Cassandra briefly passing out and developing a headache. She insists that she's fine, but they're keeping her overnight for observation. Her biggest worry is that her car is no longer drivable and both their phones are inoperable."

"Is that a typical result of electric shock?" Jack wondered.

"No, it's rather puzzling. I suspect it's a reaction to the electric field as an after-effect of Nirti's virus."

"Should we be worried?"

"I believe not, but I agree that she should be retained for observation to be on the safe side."

"Will you be visiting her?"

"There's no need, and I don't want to smother her. She says she can manage, and the other driver's insurance should cover the repairs. I just thought I should tell you now in case the situation changes."

"Of course. If you need anything, just ask.

"Thank you, General."

Jack nodded his dismissal and she left for the infirmary. He was rather relieved as her news could have been far worse.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews, and a big welcome to all the new readers.


	7. Progress

Chapter 7 - Progress

"O'Neill with two l's," Jack answered when his phone rang again. He'd read through the online article about the Stargate Program, and had begun to consider who would have the means and motive to write it.

"General, it's Agent Barrett. I assume the president has briefed you on the situation?"

"He has. Found a lead on the leak, I hope?"

"We have. The postings were traced to a Net Café in Colorado Springs. We approached the proprietor – with a completely different pretext, of course – and obtained his full cooperation."

"And?"

"We determined which computer the culprits used so we were able to partially identify them. They were a couple who paid cash, spent several hours on a computer, and appeared to be from out of town. We have them on a security camera, but no ID," the NID agent explained. "They didn't visit any other websites other than the ones they posted to, and opening a new Gmail account which was used on the sites they posted to, so we can't trace them that way either."

"A couple? A couple of what?"

"Late teens, a guy and a girl. I'm currently trying to match them against our databases, which include family members of SGC employees."

"What about the Goa'uld cargo ship pictures?"

"The image metadata shows they were taken a couple of nights ago on an expensive but popular model of camera. The photographer was probably a professional, but the quality is fairly low since they was taken at a distance under dark conditions."

"Do you know where this cargo ship was?"

"Due to image cropping and the low quality, it's hard to match it to any specific location."

"Could it be a Trust operation? The ship, I mean." While the information leak was worrying, a Goa'uld ship sneaking around was more dangerous.

"It's possible. We've been cleaning a lot of them out in the last couple of days, but they've kept well distanced from one another, so it's not easy to know how many we're dealing with."

"Great, so someone's smuggling truckloads onto a Goa'uld ship, someone else has photographed them and revealed classified information, and we have no idea who or where. Send me everything you have and I'll put some more people on it. I assume you have agents on the watch for this teenaged couple?"

"Of course. We considered using the local police to pick them up, but we don't want to draw any attention to them or we might give legitimacy to their claims."

"Apart from the minor detail that their claims are all true. Do you think these teenagers are acting alone or working for someone?" Two teens could be dealt with, while a deeper conspiracy against them, disguised as a couple of teenagers acting up, could be a problem. While the article appeared to be sympathetic to the SGC's work, there was no way of knowing whether that was their true intention.

"For now, I'm expecting it's the former. If this is part of a larger operation, we're in serious trouble."

Jack decided levity was overdue. "Yes, the SGC might be overrun by sneaky teenagers. I'll let you find them, and we'll keep a lookout for any more activity from the cargo ship."

"Good plan."

_Chicago…_

Sarah Gardener sighed as she wrote down her description of yet another ancient pot. She supposed she should be grateful that Steven – who was trying to fill Professor Jordan's rather large shoes - had given her a position. However she now understood what it must have been like for Daniel to know his theories were right yet not be able to tell anyone. It was a rather stifling feeling. In her case it was made worse by the fact that she'd expected his theories to be wrong, and the reality had been rather painful. She still had flashbacks sometimes, and had to stay away from anything relating to Osiris.

Fortunately Steven had understood that it was better for her to avoid things associated with the 'curse', though of course he didn't know anything near the truth. He'd also been too busy running around signing books to ask personal questions, such as why did she rarely smile any more.

"The conspiracy theorists are at it again," Steven announced, arriving in the room unexpectedly. Sarah jumped in fright. Fortunately she hadn't picked up another artefact. "Paulo sent me a link to a web article he found. It's just the sort of thing Daniel would love. Claims that alien parasites posed as ancient gods and the USAF are secretly fighting them. Funny, isn't it?"

"Not really," Sarah answered slowly, trying not to shudder at the word 'parasite'. "It's rather sad that people believe such things." She rather hoped he wouldn't dwell on it.

"I suppose you could look at it that way." He held up a printout he'd brought along. "Whoever wrote this must have spent a long time researching it. It claims that Dr. Kleinhouse's expedition were killed by an alien with the identity of the goddess Hathor, who was in stasis in the sarcophagus they found in a Mayan temple, and the Air Force later killed her. I remember hearing about that – not the alien part of course. It also says the sarcophagus could heal and raise the dead, and was destroyed in a shootout. What did actually happen to that sarcophagus?" he wondered.

"That was years ago. I really don't remember reading where it was sent." Sarah definitely didn't want to discuss sarcophagi.

"I'll be able to look it up." Steven started to head for his office and beckoned for Sarah to follow.

"What's so important about this?" she wondered as she unwillingly trailed after him. "Why waste time looking into this rather than just ignoring it?" Inwardly she was worried about what he might uncover.

"Once I find where the sarcophagus really is, I can be the first to put out a rebuttal. Let's see…" He ran a search for 'Hathor' and 'sarcophagus' and skimmed through the results. "Here we go. Due to the cross-cultural nature of the artefact, it was sent to Doctor Daniel Jackson, C/O Cheyenne Mountain Air Force base. Alright, it looks like this nut did his research properly. This must be why he – or she – claims the 'stargate' is kept under Cheyenne Mountain."

"This is a waste of time. I'm going back to work." Sarah turned to leave.

"Wait, you'll find the next part interesting. It says that Seth – who was tracked down as the leader of a cult and killed – trapped the aliens known as Isis and Osiris in canopic jars. They were preserved until the Isis jar was damaged and the Osiris jar was opened by an unfortunate researcher. Osiris then… hey, how do they know about the amulet? Daniel must have told…" He stopped short. The words 'nearly killed by a brain-scrambling device worn on her hand' seemed all too familiar. He looked back to Sarah, but she'd gone.

"Sarah, I need you to help me remember something," he called as he ran after her. There was a buried memory he couldn't seem to access.

"Give me that!" Sarah snatched the papers from Steven and crumpled them into a ball. She turned and tossed the offending items into a wastepaper bin.

"_Give me that!" Sarah snatched the artefact from Steven and slipped it onto her hand. She was dressed in a strange white outfit and her eyes glowed dangerously._

"You nearly killed me with that thing! Daniel too," Steven realised as the buried memory replayed.

"It wasn't me! I couldn't do anything to stop it!" Sarah pleaded.

"What about the explosion that killed Doctor Jordan?" Steven asked quickly.

"He… he walked in just after I opened the jar. He saw Osiris take me… and he – Osiris – didn't want any witnesses, so…"

"I see." He wasn't sure that he did, though.

"Can we not talk about this? I'd rather not remember," Sarah requested.

"That canopic jar really contained one of these 'Goa'uld' creatures?" Steven pressed.

"Steven, _I_ contained 'one of these Goa'uld creatures' for three entire years," Sarah replied bitterly.

Due to Steven's shock that the article seemed to be true, he was not particularly sensitive in his questioning. "So it actually burrowed into…"

"Stop it!" Sarah shouted, shuddering at the memories he was triggering.

"Alright, I'll change the topic. Have you been though the 'stargate'?"

"I've already said more than I ought to."

"Well it looks like you're not the only one," Steven observed. "I'm just trying to make sense of the world. All this alien stuff is rather tough to accept." He paused before asking, "Do you think Daniel wrote the article?"

"Daniel wouldn't do something like that," Sarah defended.

Steven figured he'd be more likely to get information if he used what he already had. "How were you rescued? It said something in the article about attempting to extract information about the Lost City of the Ancients and jamming a teleportation device. Did that actually happen?" When Sarah refused to speak he added, "I've already remembered the truth, so you might as well tell me more. No one will blame you – it was all the fault of the person who wrote the article."

"Fine, it happened, and Daniel nearly had his brains fried again," Sarah admitted. "Happy?"

"No, I'm not happy! If the government hadn't covered up the truth, you would have known not to open that jar, and none of this would have happened. I don't know which is worse: Daniel's theories being right, or him not telling anyone that he was right."

"It wasn't his decision."

Steven shrugged. "There's not much point in posting a rebuttal now," he said quietly.

"No, but you can't tell anyone it's true either."

"Why not? If I don't, they'll just squash the story, cover it up, and no one will be the wiser. You know they'll do that."

"Isn't that for the best? If you'd been trapped in your own body and forced to watch innocents be killed with your own hands, would you want the world to know about it? And if the wrong people had got their hands on me, I'd certainly be experimented upon."

Steven saw her point, but he also saw an opportunity to get ahead of the rest of the archaeological community. "Fine, but I'm still going to make preparations. If this is accepted mainstream, I want to be the first to publish. We might even have more Goa'uld artefacts in our hands. Do you think you could pump Daniel for more information? Never mind, you should be able to tell me plenty yourself. Perhaps…"

Sarah was fed up with his selfishness. "I'm going home. I can't handle any more of this."

"Before you go, do you still have that amulet? We lost all the data on the carbon dating, but if…"

"I suspect the Air Force have it. And before you ask, I don't know where you can find any more hidden treasures or spaceships or anything."

"Sorry, I had to ask."

"No, you didn't," Sarah corrected as she left.

_SGC…_

"How's it going, Barrett?" Jack asked after picking up his phone.

"We found the same cargo ship photos in a tabloid in Bethesda. The photographer was listed as Leah Lincoln, who is a match for our Jane Doe. We've found the flight she took to Colorado Springs, and identified her companion and Ivan Sage."

"Excellent. Where are they now?"

"We don't know yet. They're paying cash, so they're hard to track."

"What's their connection to the SGC?"

"Lincoln doesn't appear to have any connection. I've just started the search on Sage. Okay, that was quick."

"Found something?"

"Yes, and you're not gonna like it."

"I'll like it less if you don't tell me," said Jack testily.

"His mother is Janet Frasier."

"Oh boy. Sam told me her son showed up recently. Apparently it's the first time since he was a baby."

"Yes, it says that Markus Sage took custody after the divorce. It seems that she agreed to this. But that's irrelevant. The point is that Ivan and Leah have received and distributed classified information, and since the document includes many details Cassandra Frasier should not be privy to, they must have learned it from Doctor Frasier."

"She wouldn't give out classified information," Jack told the agent.

"I suggest you make sure of that, General."

"Are you watching her house?"

"Discreetly. There is currently no one home."

"There will be soon, as Frasier left the base about twenty minutes ago. Can you tell your guys to let me know when she arrives so I can call her? I'll be leaving here myself pretty soon and I plan to give her a heads up that I'm dropping in."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, General? If you call ahead she might try to run."

"Barrett, this is Doctor Frasier we're talking about. I trust her with the lives of everyone on this base. I just need to ask her about her son and this Lily girl so we can find out what's going on."

"Leah."

"Yeah, Leah and Jive."

"Ivan."

"You've a what?"

"Just take care; you have no idea what you're walking into."

_Elsewhere in Colorado Springs…_

"How did these NID people find us so fast?" Leah demanded.

"I didn't think to ask them," Ivan grumbled. "I doubt the guys watching the house would know," he added more helpfully.

"Did you actually see any of them?"

"No, they would have seen us first."

"It's starting to sound like…"

"I'm not delusional, and I'm not any more paranoid than I need to be," Ivan answered.

"Whatever. I guess we're even now. I couldn't get anything from my house, and now all your stuff is stuck at your mom's place."

"At least you still have your camera and money. I'm nearly out of cash."

"Where are we supposed to go now?"

"Since we need some hard evidence, I'd say Area 51. Actually, I was going to say we go to the SGC and photograph the stargate, but then you'd point out that even though I can anticipate when the cameras are being watched and when people are in the hallways, we still can't get past the entry guards."

"Huh?"

"There were a number of different things I could have suggested and I saw how you'd respond to each of them. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it's what's happening. And you're right about the bus."

"Bus?"

"You were going to suggest we take a bus rather than a plane. Sorry, sometimes I forget whether you've actually said something or not. Yeah, I'll try harder not to do it again. Of course I'm not! Ow, why'd you hit m…"

Leah jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

"Ow, why'd you hit me? Whoa, déjà vu. And why are you rolling your eyes at me?"

"I'm not," Leah answered, rolling her eyes. "I think you need to take a break from this future seeing thing and concentrate on earning yourself some money. You…"

"Yeah, that does make it difficult. If we could stay in one place it would be alright, but moving around will make it just about impossible to get a decent job."

"Would you quit answering before…"

"Sorry, I won't…" Ivan stopped and jumped out of range of his friend's elbow. "If I could try gambling, it would be an absolute steal," he suggested.

"I can't even begin to list the things that are wrong with that statement."

"Fortune telling? Or I could be a psychiatrist since I can access memories…"

"Or you could explain why we…"

"Because that's where they take all the alien artefacts after initial analysis, and do research on alien technologies and such. I can find us a way to sneak us in and you can photograph stuff. I'm hoping we might even get our hands on some video footage."

"Are…"

"No, I'm perfectly sane."

"I'm…"

"Trust me, you'll have plenty of proof when we get to Area 51."

"Would you let me finish speaking? If you can really see what will happen in response to everything you do, can't you see that I'll get rather annoyed if you keep doing that?" When she had finished speaking, Leah looked surprised that she hadn't been interrupted again.

"I can't see everything, and I certainly can't comprehend everything. I'm seeing multiple images at the same time, so I need to concentrate on the important bits. It's not like watching TV. More like stumbling through a shifting maze of moving images, where the path diverges in hundreds of nearly identical directions. It's not like I've had much practice with this. Sometimes I get lost. And I generally only see the most likely or reasonable things. Less likely stuff I need to search for."

Leah realised her friend looked pained. "Headache?"

"Yeah, it's sorta… what do they call it? Yeah, sensory overload. It hurts to look too much, but blocking it makes it hard to concentrate, and if I relax I'm likely to get lost in a vision and forget what's real."

"And you're sure all this alien-stargate-conspiracy stuff is what's real?"

"Either that or my mom and Cassie are suffering from the same delusions. But their memories seem no different to… anyone else's, so I really doubt that's the case."

"As crazy as it sounds, I agree to come to Area 51 with you. I want to see it for myself."

"Great. I would have convinced you in the end, but you've saved me the trouble."

"I guess that's a good thing. And you can sleep on the bus. You look like you really need it."

"You can say that again. But please don't."

_Elsewhere in the galaxy…_

Vala Mal Doran kicked the side of her newly-acquired, non-functional cargo ship. "Why won't you work, you stupid piece of junk? As soon as we get to the city, I'll upgrade you, I promise. I'll admit that there's a heavy case of naquadah to carry, but without that I can't buy you anything, understand?"

"Are you talking to the ship?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"Unless your parents named you 'stupid piece of junk' and you want upgrades, no," Vala replied.

"I'll pass on that one. And I should point out that kicking won't fix anything."

"It fixes my frustration," Vala explained. "You wouldn't happen to know of another way to help with my frustration?"

"You could try meditating."

"On all the things I'd buy with my naquadah if I could actually get to a market?"

"Meditating on your greed will just make you more frustrated."

"Oh, so I'm greedy, am I? A girl has to eat, you know."

"Stealing ships doesn't change the flavour of these rather delicious wild fruits," Daniel pointed out, taking another bite.

"Look, I had a rather rough childhood and then I was a host. Don't you think I'm entitled to have a few nice things of my own?"

"You're certainly welcome to earn them honestly."

"I don't usually steal things, but after my own ship was damaged, I had no choice," the pirate snapped.

"Perhaps if you'd been content with the one you had, and hadn't tried to steal that Al'kesh, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Perhaps. But this way I have a case of naquadah, a young science genius, and a…"

"Archaeologist," Daniel provided.

Vala calmed down a little. "Yes, one of those. And not a bad looking one at that."

"Ahh… isn't it starting to get dark?"

"Yes, I think we should light the fire again. I'd rather not use the ship's power unnecessarily and I'm interested in trying that fruit roasted."

"If you immediately know the candlelight is fire, the meal was cooked a long time ago," Daniel remembered aloud.

"I'll take that as an offer to start the fire, since I've got no idea what you just said."

"Hey, you two, I've found the problem," Cynthia interrupted.

"It's about time. Do you know how to fix it?"

"Do you have a spare helium coolant jacket?"

"Helium?"

"The second element."

"Oh. I see what you mean. How far can you walk in a day?" Vala asked hopelessly.

"It won't come to that; I think I can rig up something which will get us off the ground."

"Just make sure it can keep us off the ground without blowing up. I'll take a look at it as soon as I've had something to eat."

"Bonus points for the ability to fly around the planet and land safely," Daniel added.

"Yes, that would be nice too," Vala agreed.

"It would be much easier if I could use my laptop," Cynthia complained. "But I'll see what I can do."

AN: My chapters just keep getting longer! I hope you're still all enjoying this. Thanks for the reviews: I love to hear what people think, good or bad.  
Should be more about Cassie and Athena in next chapter :D


	8. Dark Movements

Chapter 8 – Dark Movements

_At Janet's home…_

Janet Frasier opened her front door and ushered O'Neill inside. "General, what's this about? Is it Daniel?" she asked.

"No, there's still no news about our missing persons. People. Actually, I was wondering where your son is."

"I was wondering the same thing myself. I would have expected him home by now. Why do you need to know? Why do you even know he's staying with me?"

"I, ah, heard from Sam. How long has he been staying here?"

"He showed up last night. It was his 18th birthday, so he left my ex-husband and I let him stay here."

"How much does he know about your job?"

"Other than I'm the base CMO, nothing. Why?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Do you know of a Leah Lincoln?"

"Yes, she's a school-friend who was travelling with him. I let her stay here too. She – or Ivan – said that someone wants her dead, but they didn't ever elaborate."

Jack held out a piece of paper. "These are some pictures taken by Leah Lincoln two nights ago."

She quickly recognised the design of the ship. "Oh my… Goa'uld!"

"Perhaps it's the Trust who want her dead," Jack suggested. "But that's not all. This was posted online earlier today, along with the same photos." He handed her a printout of the article.

Janet paled as she read. "Are you saying Leah wrote this?"

Jack nodded. "And Ivan. The NID traced the postings to one of those 'Internet Café' places in town, and the kids were on the security tape."

"But… how could they know all this?"

"That's what the NID are wondering. So am I, but they're the ones responsible for the agents watching your house."

"They think I told? I didn't say a word!"

"I don't believe you did, but they had to get that intel from somewhere."

"The Trust, perhaps?" Janet suggested. "If Leah photographed a Goa'uld ship, she might have had opportunity to learn more."

"The first article indicates that she had no idea what she was seeing. So sometime between its printing yesterday morning and boarding a flight with Ivan that afternoon, she must have been approached by someone who gave her all this information and threatened her life."

Janet considered what they knew. "Maybe, someone's forcing her to reveal the program and is using her association with Ivan to make it look like I'm the leak. What I don't understand is why they didn't give any names or further evidence."

"To make it look like all they had was your word," Jack filled in.

"Where are Ivan and Leah now? They're in danger!" Janet realised.

"Our illustrious NID friends seem to have lost them."

"Then you'd better find them before anyone else does. No one threatens my children!"

Jack was strongly reminded of the time when Janet held a gun to Nirti. "I'll have them found, and I'll put a few guards on Cass too."

"You do that, but don't let her see them, or we'll never hear the last of it."

_At the hospital…_

Cassandra Frasier sat up on a hospital bed, reading a medical textbook which Emma had obtained for her. She wasn't going to let the doctor's overprotective nature cut into her study time. She knew that nothing would happen, and she would be discharged in the morning. She was fine. There was nothing wrong with her. Completely normal, that's what she was. Yep, she'd been fine ever since Nirti healed her.

At least, that's what she wanted to think. After her recovery, she'd reported that she'd lost all ability to manipulate magnetic fields. She'd believed this to be true. However, if she'd really tried, she would have found it was not so. While she thought she'd tried, she'd been too afraid to succeed and had subconsciously blocked herself from actually doing anything. Until today.

Looking back to the power-line incident, she knew what had happened. Compelled by the imminent threat of the falling wire, she'd fought back against the incoming electrical current and pushed it away, without even knowing what she was doing. But now that she know she still had the ability, there was nothing to stop her from using it. Except one thing: the fear of hurting herself – or someone else - in the process. The brief blackout proved that such actions were not entirely without risk.

On the other hand, there was a proverb she'd learned: 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. It would be stupid to have an ability and never try using it. She'd been 'lucky' earlier, but there might someday be a situation in which she'd need her special power, and it would be no use if she didn't know how to apply it safely. With a sigh she set down the book and picked up the spoon she'd received with the pitiful hospital food.

She stared at the spoon for a few seconds before putting it back down. It was plastic, which wasn't much use for experimenting. Perhaps she'd try when they let her out of the hospital.

_Meanwhile, in a secluded and remote area…_

Athena watched intently as her men moved the truckload of crates into the cargo ship. Each box was packed with Tau'ri weapons she had secretly appropriated. She knew full well that these weapons were one of the reasons the humans of the First World had been so successful against Jaffa armies. Recognising an advantage when she saw it, Athena had selected and obtained weapons she determined would be effective and easy for her loyal Jaffa to learn. While her army was small – mostly made of those who had come over to her from Ba'al – she would soon win over more of the deceased Goa'uld's Jaffa, and those of the System Lords she planned to vanquish.

There was one hitch in her plan. Many of Ba'al's Jaffa were continuing to protect his territory, as if they were still loyal to some leader. And then there where the Khull Warriors, which were immune to the usual weapons of both Jaffa and Tau'ri. She'd heard that these were still attacking minor Goa'ulds as if they were working for someone. She had a strong suspicion who, and shortly she would be certain.

Actually, there was another issue. She'd been rather surprised to hear that the pesky photographer had teamed up a relative of an SGC member, and a little worried at the article they'd produced. They'd vanished again, but she had her best people tracking them. As for the publicity they'd begun to generate, it wasn't as problematic as she'd initially determined. It merely meant stepping up her plans a little. Within the hour she'd already formulated several possible methods of taking advantage. But for now, she would wait and concentrate on off-world issues.

When the last of the crates was secured on board, Athena embarked and walked to the pel'tac. The ship cloaked and then began to leave the planet. She would deal with the Khull threat very soon.

_In another part of the galaxy…_

"Well it's a good thing we've got plenty of water," Vala muttered painfully before gulping down another mouthful.

"Did the cooked fruit taste any good?" Cynthia asked from the other side of the ship.

"I was too busy trying to extinguish my mouth to notice," the woman answered with a toss of her hair.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "I told you not to put the whole thing in at once."

"How was I to know it would be hotter inside than outside?"

"The sugar distribution…" Cynthia began.

"Oh don't you start! Concentrate on fixing my ship so we can get out of here. I'm trying another one." As she impaled one of the pinkish fruits on a stick she added, "And letting it cool for longer this time."

"Perhaps you could help Cynthia in the meantime," Daniel suggested.

"I still don't really understand what she's trying to achieve," Vala replied in an annoyed tone. She didn't really understand how the girl could find a way to re-engineer the thrusters when she'd never seen them before.

"Once I realised what it actually does, it was a matter of applying physics and a little logic," Cynthia explained.

Vala sighed. "I've fixed several of these and I _still_ don't know how they really work."

"This is a girl who figured out how to make her own working stargate without even knowing they already existed," Daniel explained. "You see, her mother's a scientific genius and her father is a distant descendant of the Ancients who returned to Earth."

"Ancient whats?"

"The Gate Builders."

"Well, it looks like I captured exactly the right people. Gate Builder technology is rare but particularly valuable, so working together… imagine the possibilities!"

"I try not to," Daniel muttered.

"Cheer up, I'll take good care of you both. And I'll let you go. Eventually. Hmm, I might decided to keep you though." She winked suggestively.

"Vala, as soon as I get back to Earth, I'm going to get married," Daniel quickly mentioned.

"Really? We haven't known each other very long." She did of course know what he really meant.

"To someone else."

"Oh. Could you tell me about her? So I have an accurate description for the bounty hunters."

"Vala!"

"Just kidding." She took a careful bite from her fruit. "If you're getting married, why were you in a ship at the edge of the galaxy?"

"A rescue mission, to another galaxy."

"Another galaxy? How did you lose people in another galaxy?"

"The stargate can dial other galaxies, if you have the right address and enough power."

"Well, that's interesting. I suppose they forgot to make sure they had enough power to return."

"We were hoping they would find a way to power the gate for a return trip. As it was, we were fortunate to be able to make the outgoing connection."

"I think that's rather silly. Who would go to another galaxy without a sure way of getting back again?"

"I would have, but they wouldn't let me," Daniel admitted. "We believe we've found Atlantis, the Lost City."

"Oh. I suppose that would be interesting to an… archaeologist."

"Very." Daniel remembered it would be unwise to mention that it was an Ancient city, given her earlier statements about acquiring and selling Gate Builder technology. "I hope you realise that you'll be in far less trouble with my people if you let us go as soon as we get to the stargate."

"I won't be in any trouble if they don't catch me. Don't worry, you'll be free as soon as I've found a decent stash of treasure or Gate Builder technology."

"Then at least let Cynthia go."

"Sorry, she's too useful."

As if to underline the point, the teen chose that moment to announce, "I think I've got it kinda usable."

"See?"

Daniel groaned, though he was also pleased that the ship was finally airworthy. "Are we leaving in the morning, or now?"

"Douse the fire, we're leaving immediately. Assuming it actually works."

_In yet another part of the galaxy…_

Athena stepped through the Chappa'ai into what had been Ba'al's latest outpost until his recent demise. It was a pain to need to fly by ship to a planet with an accessible 'gate, but hopefully that would change in the near future. Light-years behind her, a group of Jaffa were unloading the latest weapons delivery. Either side of her marched two Jaffa, formerly of Ba'al, and ahead of her lay her target: the stronghold.

She idly noted the uncanny resemblance between this planet and Delmak, the former base of Sokar and then Apophis. The System Lords had no sense of originality. Her mind briefly replayed the mission report she'd read of how the Tau'ri had caused Apophis to crash into his own stronghold – an ironic death for one who claimed to be a god.

She was brought out of her musing by the challenge of the Jaffa guarding the gateway. "What is your business here?"

Athena's eyes flashed brightly and she spoke in her most imposing voice. "We are Athena, your goddess. We come to the inheritance left to us by Ba'al."

"That which was Ba'al's now belongs to my new master."

"We wish to speak with your new master immediately."

"You may enter. He has been expecting to you. He knows all," the Jaffa answered loyally.

Athena let herself be ushered inside and took note of the Jaffa and occasional Khull Warriors guarding the hallways. After a long walk she was let into an inner chamber. A finely-dressed man sat on a high and ornate throne. He appeared to be suffering from a particularly nasty rash. "Anubis," she greeted contemptuously.

"Athena. You have come for what belonged to Ba'al," he stated.

"That is so."

"Ba'al was in fact my instrument. If you agree to my terms, I may let you oversee his territory."

Athena didn't think it very likely that Ba'al had held any true loyalty to Anubis, but she knew better than to say so out loud. "What is it that you want from us? Revenge on Lord Yu, perhaps?" she inquired.

"I understand that you have a presence on Earth. I wish for its destruction. I also need your children in order to create more soldiers," Anubis intoned.

"We have taken a liking to Earth. And as for our children, we have our own uses for them," Athena answered defiantly.

"In that case, I have a counteroffer. Cooperate in replenishing my army, and I shall eventually allow you to go free."

"This too, we must decline." Athena was growing tired of speaking it the plural, but she didn't want to appear weak before her enemy.

"I do not give you an option. Take her to a cell!" Anubis roared. Four of his super-soldiers began advancing on their next prisoner.

Athena turned on the spot and faced the approaching black-clad drones. She raised her right palm and the jewel on it began to glow blue.

"I believe you shall find such weapons ineffective," Anubis taunted behind her.

"Perhaps," Athena answered as she fired a blue beam across the creatures' chests. They dropped immediately. "Or perhaps not."

The Jaffa guards stared at the fallen bodies of the abominable creatures and whispered among themselves. "She has slain the black demons!" "Surely she possesses great power." "This is the act of a goddess."

Athena picked up on the general direction of their words. "Yes, bow before your true goddess!" she ordered them. She marched out the room with her new followers close behind. They were met with confusion from the hall guards, but this was cleared up when she dispatched two more of the Khull. Inwardly she thanked the Tau'ri and Tok'ra for their resourcefulness. To the Jaffa around her she shouted, "Kree Jaffa! We must secure the ships! Tell your brethren of the power held by their new mistress, Athena!"

As her new servants began to prepare her newly-won fleet for departure, Athena considered how well the venture had progressed. Her hunches had definitely paid off. Making use of the resources of the First World definitely had its benefits.

Above the planet, one of the ships received a beam of white light. Shortly thereafter, it jumped into hyperspace bearing away Anubis. Evidently the semi-ascended being had decided to cut his losses and try a new plan from elsewhere. Athena was notified shortly after but she merely nodded and continued directing the exodus from the planet. Surely the other System Lords would soon come to see what remained of Ba'al's holdings. She wanted to have everything safely hidden away long before then. When she was ready to strike, they wouldn't know what hit them.

_In a bus on a dark highway…_

Leah Lincoln sat back in her reclined seat, sleeping peacefully. The gentle hum of the bus and muted lighting had eventually succeeded in making her drift off and forget her recent troubles for a while.

Beside her, Ivan Sage lay back in his own seat, sleeping also. His dreams were a battleground between that which was and those which might be, littered with a fair portion of the typical nonsense of which dreams are composed. For some reason – perhaps comfort or grounding in reality – his hand held that of his companion.

AN: Sorry for the delay, I did a little non-fiction writing over the weekend.  
A relevant Wikipedia quote: "The images of Ba'al and Anubis' homeworld are stock footage of Delmak" :P  
I hope everyone enjoyed this update. Thanks again for the reviews, I always love feedback.  
edit - found I twice wrote Ian not Ivan!


	9. First Launch

Chapter 9 – First Launch

_Next morning, at the Alpha Site..._

"Chevron seven… locked," called the Alpha Site gate technician. One kawoosh later, the gate room was bathed in rippling blue light. A FRED crawled through, followed by Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter and Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey. They left the concrete walls of the Alpha Site, which was under a 'midmorning sun' if they'd looked outside, and arrived on a planet under twilight conditions. From the gate they walked until they reached what at distance looked like a gravel pile. In fact it was a pile of replicator blocks, lying dormant until someone saw fit to reactivate them.

Sam stopped the FRED at the edge of the metallic graveyard. "Here should be fine. There's no need to start at the middle, and the FRED would just be in the way once it starts building. I'll set up the generator while you sort out everything else."

"Yes Ma'am," Jen agreed as she began unpacking various items from the FRED. The main thing was a laptop computer, but there were also a couple of video cameras and other sensors that would relay information back to the Alpha Site. While the Replicator subspace link would soon allow them to access the Replicators' sensors, it was always wise to have their own system in place for backup.

While Jennifer was preparing her side of things, Sam unpacked a naquadah generator and hooked it up to a complicated rig into which she placed several Replicator blocks. She hooked up several power leads and passed a data line to Jen which plugged into the laptop. After ten minutes of configuration and testing, they retreated through the stargate. Once they had settled into the control room, the planet was redialled so a radio link could be established. All data was relayed back to Earth through an encrypted subspace transmission.

"We have visuals," Jen reported. "All systems are ready for initiation."

"Proceed with activation," Sam ordered.

Jen pressed the red button and light-years away the generator switched into full-power mode. A blue arc of energy crackled through the secured Replicator blocks. After they had been charged with a predetermined amount of energy, a precise electric pulse pattern signalled that they could begin running the program that had been uploaded. The blocks snapped together into a single entity and began to scan their surroundings.

Sam was pleased with this outcome. "Initialisation worked. Let's see what they do now."

The newly formed Replicator consisted of three legs meeting at a central point. As such, it could not easily stay upright while moving. It attempted to crawl forwards, with the characteristic whirring sounds, and promptly overbalanced and tumbled to the ground. It landed in a pile of blocks which it quickly attached to itself to form a more stable entity. With some experimentation it attained full mobility and was able to slowly move through the pile, increasing in bulk as it went.

Once it became too ungainly again, it split into several smaller entities. These were able to gather more blocks and reactivate them, imparting the new programming. Eventually all the blocks had been incorporated and the bugs began building themselves into a single solid structure: the ship. When it was complete, it sent a detailed diagnostic message along with a request for its next orders.

Sam checked through the data for any anomalies. "Everything appears to be in order. Jen?"

"I believe the Replicators are functioning as expected. We're ready for launch."

Sam pressed the button for communicating with the SGC. "General, we're clear for launching… do you think we should have a name for it, Jack?"

"Snakeskinner would be appropriate, Sam," Jack suggested.

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Works for me. Ready to launch Snakeskinner, Sir."

"Proceed, Carter."

Sam typed a command and Snakeskinner rose into the air, its legs folding in under it. With another command, it opened a hyperspace window and vanished from the alien sky. "Hyper-launch succeeded. Heading is confirmed. Snakeskinner has been successfully deployed."

"We'll see how successful it is after it reaches Basket," Jack replied.

"Bastet."

"Whatever its snaky parentage, it shouldn't matter for long, right Sam?"

"Right, Snakeskinner should arrive in about two hours."

"Excellent."

_Meanwhile, in a hospital bed…_

Something buzzed.

Several things, in fact, but there was a particularly annoying buzz overhead. She didn't know when it had started, as she had only gradually noticed it as the awareness crept into her dreams. Someone should silence it. She could. Therefore, she should silence it.

She did.

Bang! The exploding light started Cassandra from her deep sleep. Broken glass rained down, cutting her face. Several people bustled into the room. Fortunately her eyes were screwed shut, or she would have noticed that several of them were armed guards, investigating what they interpreted as an attack on their charge.

When the nurse softly told her to calm down, Cassie realised she was screaming. She was able to stop and stayed as still as she could while the glass was cleared away. None of the cuts were deep, so they were easily dressed. None had hit her eyes, so she was able to open them and see once the fragments had been cleared away.

As she relaxed, she noticed that if she concentrated she could sense the distant buzzing, but there was now silence overhead. Before she could consider the matter further, she was moved to a new bed and given fresh 'clothes' to ensure there was no remaining glass.

"How's your head?" the doctor asked once the patient was settled into her new room.

"My face is a little sore from the cuts, but there's no headache," Cassie reported.

"Good to hear. That was quite a large power surge that blew the light. You seem to be a magnet for electrical problems, if you'll excuse the pun."

"I guess I'm just unlucky," Cassie shrugged.

"Perhaps. Shall I inform your mother of what happened?"

"Uh, yeah, you should do that. She's be mad if I didn't tell her."

"Alright, I'll have someone call her. Try to keep out of trouble."

Cassie laid still and let herself relax. She quickly noticed the 'buzzing' of the light overhead, but this time she knew not to interfere with it. Apparently she was sensing the fluctuating electromagnetic fields, and her brain was interpreting them as sound, though it didn't quite 'feel' like sound. It was a rather eerie experience, but it was not at all uncomfortable. She had a small urge to try reaching out and manipulating something, but she knew better.

The doctor returned, pulling Cassie out of her relaxed state. All awareness of the 'buzzing' vanished. "I spoke to your mother. You're being transferred to the medical facilities at Cheyenne Mountain."

"For a few facial scratches? Give me a break!"

"She sounded very concerned. The Air Force are sending a helicopter and there are a couple of guards to escort you."

Cassandra was not about to go anywhere with armed strangers, not without confirmation. Plus she didn't particularly want to go anywhere at the moment. "I'm not leaving this room without speaking to her myself," she demanded.

"You can't make a call from here, but I can take you to a phone," the doctor offered.

"Fine." Cassie followed the doctor out of the ward. She was vaguely aware of the SFs that were tailing her. "Mom, what's the deal with bringing me back to the mountain? I'm just a little scratched, that's all," she complained when the call had connected.

"Cassandra, a light blew out over your head. Was that a coincidence?"

"It was an accident. I didn't know what I was doing. But I know better now. There isn't any danger."

"I'm afraid that's not for you to determine."

"Mom, it isn't hurting me at all, and I can control it. I won't do anything, I promise. There's no need to bring me back to the SGC for tests."

"Cassie, I need to make certain it's still not transmissible, and can't harm you. You nearly died last time. We'll discuss this when you arrive, alright?"

Cassie sighed in frustration. "Okay. So I'm to let these SFs escort me to a helicopter, right?"

"That's right. I'll get General O'Neill to describe them to you so you know you have the right people."

Cassie was glad her mother was as paranoid as she. "Yeah, I'd like to talk to Jack."

After a quick chat with one of her favourite 'uncles', Cassie turned to find her friend Emma watching her. "Oh, hi Emma. Miss me?"

"Of course I did. But it looks like something else didn't miss."

"Uh, yeah, I had a little mishap. And now my mom's dragging me back home," she added with a frown.

"In a helicopter," Emma added, having been eavesdropping.

"Yeah, so I guess I'd better say goodbye."

"Have you seen this morning's paper?" Emma asked oddly.

"Um, no? Why?"

"There was a little article about some anonymous conspiracy theorist claiming weird stuff about aliens and the USAF."

Cassie decided she shouldn't let this conversation continue. "Weird. I'd better be going."

"To StarGate Command?"

"Huh??" Cassie did a fair impression of looking blank.

"You said SGC, on the phone. The article said StarGate Command was under Cheyenne Mountain."

"No… that's not what I meant at all. SGC is… Samantha Gloria Carter, my mom's best friend. She's a scientist," Cassie quickly ad-libbed.

"Oh, I thought... never mind." Emma wasn't quite sure who to believe.

"That's alright, I'll forget you ever said anything. See you when my mom lets me back."

"Yep, see you soon." Emma watched as the SFs marched her friend away, wondering what was really going on.

Outside, Cassie and her guards waited in the pickup zone between the entrance and the parking lot. Their car had not yet arrived. There was one car idling in the pickup zone: an extremely sporty red convertible.

A redheaded woman in an outrageously expensive outfit - particularly considering the amount of fabric in it - slid out of the driver's seat. She smiled vacuously and chirped, "Hi, I'm Netti. I'm, like, a big fan of the military. Could I get my photo taken with you guys?"

"I'm afraid not, Ma'am," declined the shorter SF as the woman reached inter her fancy leather purse for a camera.

"It'll only, like, take a second," she replied sweetly, pulling out her camera.

Or not.

Two rapidly fired zat-blasts felled the SFs before they realised what was going on. A third blast shot towards Cassie, but she was expecting it and was able to react. She 'felt' the incoming electrical disturbance and swatted it sideways. The beam was diverted to the right and harmlessly discharged into an innocent signpost.

The teen turned to flee but a thrown dart penetrated her side before she could take many steps. Her muscles quickly seized up and she crumpled to the ground. The woman swooped down and scooped her up, depositing her in the passenger seat. Two further zat blasts ensured the SFs would stay down for good.

'Netti' sped off the hospital grounds, not squealing the tires, but still going faster than advised. She quickly travelled to the rendezvous point, a couple of blocks away. Her mother would be pleased with this catch, and even more pleased at the obvious display of her prisoner's powers. There was now no way the girl could pretend to be a normal human. She had been a little worried that the girl might find a way to use her powers offensively – for instance, returning the zat blast – but fortunately the dart had been effective before anything of the sort could occur.

Emma stood in the hospital entrance. She had watched the scene unfold from the other side of the sliding glass doors, but had been too shocked to move. The receptionist had called for security as soon as she realised Cassandra's escort had been neutralised, but the kidnapping was over far too quickly for them to be any use. "Can I use a phone?" she requested, a little frantically.

"Uh, sure. The guards are already calling the cops," the receptionist agreed.

Emma punched in a number Cassie had made her memorise. "Hi, can I speak with Janet Frasier? Did you say she's in surgery? Oh, I see. Uh… can I speak to Jack O'Neill? It's important. Yeah, it's about Cassandra. Thanks, I'll hold." She sighed and waited to be transferred.

_At the SGC…_

Walter picked up the phone for the umpteenth time that morning. "General O'Neill's office, how may I help you? I'm sorry, I believe we already have a contractor who installs all our gates. No, we don't have any stars here, though the general certainly has his fans. Could you repeat that, I'm not sure that I understood. A gate to the stars? I should point out that stars are extremely hot and give off a lot of deadly radiation, so you don't want to get too close to them. Aliens? No, you want the department of immigration, not the Air Force. No, I'm not going to let you waste his time with this. Have a nice day."

Technically, he hadn't lied. Getting rid of reporters and such was actually fun, not that he'd admit it to his superiors. At the rate he was going, he would be winning the bet with Siler about how many calls about the stargate he would be fielding today. And there it went again! He quickly picked up and answered in exactly the same tone, "General O'Neill's office, how may I help you?" Technically he was outside the general's office, but it was as close as external calls could get until they had been screened.

"Uh, hi, I'm Emma and I need to speak with Jack O'Neill about Cassandra Frasier, because Janet's busy in surgery."

Walter was almost disappointed to have a genuine call. Jack was in his office working through paperwork and waiting for an update on Snakeskinner's progress, so he was easily reached. "O'Neill. You're Cassie's dorm-mate, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Cassie was just kidnapped!"

"What? How?"

"She was leaving with a couple of those Air Force guard people and this woman in a fancy red sports car rolled up and zapped them both with some weird weapon. She tried to get Cassie too, but somehow it missed her. I didn't see that part very well. Then the woman hit her with dart and she collapsed. The kidnapper scooped her up, zapped the guards again, and sped off."

Emma heard Jack cursing in the background before he returned the phone to his face. "What did this 'weird weapon' look like?" he enquired.

"It was sorta S-shaped, and it shot a blue bolt of energy. And it sounded… well it's hard to describe."

"She shot them twice?"

"Yeah. Is that bad?"

Jack chose not to answer that one. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I stayed inside. I was too scared to move, even though I wanted to help her."

"You did the right thing by staying out of it," Jack reassured her. "Did you see this woman's face?"

"Kinda. She had a lot of makeup on, and her long red hair could have been a wig."

"Are the police there?"

"The security guards called them. The guards didn't get here in time to see anything. Is… is Cassie in danger?"

"We'll get her back," Jack assured the girl. "I'll have some people at the hospital soon, to take over the investigation."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Um… do you know a Samantha Gloria Carter?"

"I know a Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, but her middle name isn't Gloria," Jack answered.

Cassie's lie was quickly unravelled. "I thought not. So… have you been to other planets?"

Jack failed to see the connection. "Uh…what? I was more interested in test piloting than the space program."

"I was referring to the Stargate Program actually."

"Oh! You're one of those people who believe everything they read in the papers," Jack quipped.

"If SCG doesn't stand for Samantha Gloria Carter like Cassie said it does, and it doesn't stand for StarGate Command either, what _does_ it stand for?"

"Seriously Green Cows?" Jack suggested 'helpfully'.

"I seriously doubt that."

"Then I suggest you try thinking of something better. I have business to attend to." Jack hung up the phone, feeling like bits of the sky were crashing down around him.

_Shortly after, in an underground parking area…_

'Netti' returned the stolen car to its parking spot. The owners were occupied somewhere in the mall overhead, and would have no idea that their vehicle had been driven a few blocks while they shopped. Cassandra had already been transferred to a more secure nondescript van, leaving the captor free to vanish. The woman returned to a much plainer car and pulled on a black coat from the back seat.

After removing the red wig, Netti drove to a small house about five minutes away. The wig and her wild outfit were locked away in a battered suitcase in some forgotten corner of her closet, along with her weapons. After washing away the layers of makeup, she looked like a very different person, particularly with short brown hair and cheap muted clothing. She sank into a lounge chair and picked up a thick mystery novel.

Alice Hall looked up from the book she had been intently reading. Her eyes settled on the clock and she wondered where the morning had gone. She'd tried to be careful and not lose track of time, but it had happened again. Shrugging, she checked the refrigerator to see what she might do for lunch.

_Meanwhile…_

Athena – and Charlotte Mayfield – were very pleased at the news. Cassie had been under watch in case an opportunity arose, and discovering that the girl was still a hok'taur made it more than worth the trouble. Capturing one of Nirti's experiments would be very helpful, though she would need to keep her a considerable distance away, because SG-1 had a habit of mounting rather successful rescue operations.

This was shaping up to be a good day. The blended pair had already been in a good mood after the disgrace of Anubis and appropriation of Ba'al's territory. The buzz in the media was also looking like a promising opportunity. Hopefully it should also draw attention away from her smuggling operation, which incidentally would now be much easier with the Asgard technology she'd 'inherited' from Anubis.

Yes, things were definitely looking up. Her children were serving their purpose admirably.

AN: sorry for the delay, I was distracted from writing for several days, about two thirds of the way through.  
Side note: I purchased and watched Ark of Truth 8 days ago (**glee**) which happened to be after writing the first scene of this chapter. And it didn't prompt me to change anything :D


	10. Hunting

Chapter 10 - Hunting

_Earlier that day…_

Leah Lincoln reached over to her companion to shake him awake. His eyes sprang open before she touched him. "Hey, what did you… oh, you didn't yet."

"Time to get off," she told him unnecessarily.

"Yeah, give me a moment." Ivan yawned and stretched his arms above him.

"Moment's over. Let's go."

"Alright already, I'm coming." Ivan sleepily shuffled out of the bus after his friend.

"Do you know where we're going?" Leah asked.

"I know where we could begin to go and I know where we'd end up if we went that way," he replied.

"Funny. Are you sure you're up to this?" she asked, referring to their mission.

"I could do it in my sleep. Actually, I have been, all night long."

"That's a relief. What's going to result from this?"

"Eh?"

"When we go public with whatever evidence we find, what will result?"

"Oh. I don't know."

"You don't?"

"Nope."

"Then why are we doing it if we don't know what will happen?"

"Leah, people do things without knowing the full consequences every day. We have to."

"You don't."

"Yes, I do. This gift if useful for avoiding short-term problems, but that doesn't excuse me from making my own decisions. It simply isn't human to see the outcome of every possible decision for the rest of my life and find the option that is best for everyone. At some point, I need to decide to do what I believe is the right thing to do."

Leah suspected that he'd rehearsed that spiel in his sleep, as she did not remember him being so talkative. "So you're saying that your gift will make you able to get what we want, but you're doing it only because you believe it's the right thing to do?"

"Exactly."

Leah nodded. "That's good enough for me. Let's do this."

_In Chicago…_

"Doctor Rayner speaking," Steven greeted the phone caller.

"Hello Doctor Rayner, my name is Julia Donovan, from Inside Access."

This sounded like an opportunity to gain some media attention. "What can I do for you, Miss Donovan?"

"I'd like to know your opinion on the recent articles about aliens posing as ancient gods, from an archaeological standpoint. I'm planning a live interview of multiple experts from various fields and viewpoints, tonight. I felt it was important to have someone with your expertise on the show, especially given your prior connection with Doctor Daniel Jackson."

Steven was a little annoyed that Daniel had been brought up, but the man seemed to be unavoidable. In any case, he was now in a difficult position. If he stuck with the mainstream position, he lost any chance of coming out ahead of everyone else if public opinion changed. However, if he did support the 'alien articles' and they were not accepted by the public, he'd be disgraced just like Daniel. It was quite a dilemma. "I'm sure you're aware of what happened to Doctor Jackson when he opposed the current archaeological paradigm," he began.

"Yes, it didn't go so well for him," Julia answered.

Steven tried to find some middle ground. "I think there is a possibility that evidence supporting the 'alien articles' could exist, but it is either ignored or misunderstood because no one is expecting to find it."

"So you're saying that it could be right?"

"It's possible that we've missed something because it doesn't fit with established and accepted ideas. The very idea of alien influence on past civilisations goes against everything we think we know, but that does not rule it out entirely." Privately, Steven was pleased at his skillful fence-sitting.

Julia wanted something more concrete. "Do you have any evidence that could be interpreted to support this theory?"

"I did have a gold amulet which gave a rather anomalous date, but both the amulet and the test results are unavailable," Steven admitted.

"An amulet? Like the one mentioned in the article?"

"There were two canopic jars we found along with it. One was destroyed in an explosion and the other was confiscated by the Air Force."

"Really?" Julia Donovan sounded very interested in this revelation. "What was in the jars?"

"I don't know what was in them, just that they had writing in an unknown script and were decorated with the forms of Isis and Osiris."

"Do you think that gives credence to the alien theory?" The woman was pretty sure that it did, and this showed in her voice.

"It could easily mean that the anonymous writer is basing their ideas around real events. While some of the things mentioned in the article did really exist, it isn't proof that the interpretation – or spin – is correct." He decided not to betray Sarah, at least not yet.

"You'll do," Julia determined. She saw that Doctor Rayner was trying to keep an open-minded, neutral position. This would appeal to a broad range of people, as most viewers were put off by the alien fanatics, and it was a foregone conclusion that the hypercritical scientists would not accept any of the ideas she would be discussing.

"Pardon?"

"For tonight's interview. If you have time, I'll arrange a flight for you."

There was no way he could refuse. "Count me in."

_Not far away…_

Sarah reached Daniel's answering machine again and threw down the phone in annoyance. He wasn't reachable at home, by his cell, or via the office number he'd given her. She looked through her personal phonebook and found that she also had Doctor Frasier's number. This gave her a hold message and eventually a nurse answered. "Hi, this is Sarah Gardener. Is either Doctor Jackson or Doctor Frasier available?"

"Sorry, Doctor Jackson is away, and Doctor Frasier is operating. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Can you pass on a warning? My colleague Steven Rayner has regained his memories of the Osiris situation."

"Osi… oh, Sarah Gardener, I didn't connect the name at first. Of course, I'll pass that along."

"Thanks. I hope the situation doesn't get out of hand."

"Thank you for letting us know," the nurse replied.

Sarah put the phone down and sighed, hoping Steven would not succeed in doing something stupid.

_At the SGC…_

Shortly after being notified of Doctor Rayner's status (and dispatching a couple of people to have a little chat with him), General O'Neill was handed a call from Julia Donovan. "General O'Neill," he answered gruffly.

"Is Sam Carter available?" Julia immediately asked.

"The lieutenant colonel is currently occupied elsewhere."

"I was hoping to get her opinion of the claims about the 'Stargate Program', since she was the one to defend the USAF in the Colson incident."

"She simply isn't available at this time. I doubt she's even had an opportunity to read the articles in question."

"What about Doctor Jackson? I know he and Sam work together."

"You do, do you? Well I'm afraid he doesn't even know about this situation."

"He's away visiting aliens, is he?"

"As a matter of fact, he isn't. Now, I actually have important things to do, so if you're done wasting my time with this crazy talk, I suggest you put the phone down and search for a story that's actually worth reporting."

"Can I quote you on that, General?"

"Sure. It's O'Neill with two 'l's."

"Thanks for your time, General."

"Don't mention it." As Jack put the phone down, he hoped that against all odds something good would happen that day.

_At Area 51…_

Ivan Sage concentrated on the past and the futures as he tapped a long code into an electronic lock. LEDs turned green and the door swung open, punctuated by a pleasant beep. "Here we are."

"I can't believe we actually got in," Leah commented as she followed her companion into the storage room.

"We've still got to get out," he reminded her.

"The sooner the better. I hate wearing this ridiculous makeup."

"At least you don't have to wear a wig or glasses," Ivan replied. "These were the closest available IDs I could find. I just hope their original owners don't wake up too soon."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Leah assured him. "So long as we find what we're looking for and make this worthwhile. What are we looking for, again?"

"Footage of the Stargate in action," Ivan explained. "There's copies of security footage from the SGC in this room. We just need to find a disk with the right thing on it."

"This stack is labelled 'GateCam' and the top one is dated last month," Leah discovered. She figured that Ivan could have found it himself but was letting her feel useful. "So, what do we do with it?"

"They'll have other copies, so no harm done if it goes missing. It's not like we'd be in any less trouble if we took the time to duplicate it first, and the only available method we have is to find something to play it back and reshoot it with your camera's video function."

"Which is shockingly poor considering the quality of the still-shot capabilities," Leah completed.

"Plus we don't have time if we want to avoid running into anyone," Ivan added.

"I still don't see the point in wearing ID tags if we don't let anyone see us," Leah complained.

"Didn't I explain that? Oh, I mustn't have actually done that. That's just so the people watching the security cameras don't get suspicious. Even with ID tags we can't come in the regular way because…"

"They don't let us so much as keep our own clothes. You said that part."

"Oh. Good. Let's get out of here. In a few minutes, dozens of people will be spilling out of a meeting room just down the hall from here."

Leah nodded and reached for the door. Before she could open it, Ivan grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She opened her mouth to protest but saw that he had a finger over his lips, signalling silence. She looked at him quizzically for several seconds until footsteps were heard passing by. "That was close. Thanks," she said after the hall was again empty.

"Sorry about that. _Now_ lets get out of here."

_In a dark, cramped, moving vehicle…_

The featurelessness of drugged sleep was slowly replaced with a woozy feeling. Cassandra gradually became aware that she was inside a truck. This was partly due to the sensations of motion and the barely-visible walls around her, and partly due to a sense of the distributor and other electrical components in the vehicle. Her captors had foolishly secured her wrists and ankles with manacles. She might have been in trouble if they had used plastic ties, but with careful relaxation and concentration, she was able to manipulate the locks and free herself. Even so, it took several minutes, as her gift took a lot of practice to be wielded accurately. Manipulating tiny bits of metal was quite different from redirecting incoming blasts of energy.

The driver of what appeared to the outside world to be a furniture moving truck shifted the gearbox into neutral gear and attempted to restart the engine. The starter motor drove the engine, but none of the pistons fired. "No sparks," he commented to his partner. "Battery must be dead."

"You sure? It could be the alien."

"Nah, she couldn't be awake yet, and there's no way…"

"She's an alien, Gordo. There's no telling what she might be capable of. Anyhow, we'd better pull onto the shoulder before we lose all speed."

"True." Gordo directed the truck off the highway and brought it to a safe stop.

"I'll check the girl," the second man decided.

"Give the engine one more chance, Don" Gordo argued as he turned the key in the ignition. This time, the sparks flowed freely.

"Gordo?" the passenger asked with shock – though not nearly as much shock as Gordo had received through the key. The driver had fallen unconscious from the electrical jolt he'd received. "Aww man!" He quickly pulled on his thick rubber gloves and reached for a syringe. He hurried to the back of the truck and activated the door-opener, standing well back. It was fortunate that he did, because a tall filing cabinet immediately fell out.

"Hey, what's going on? Who's in there?" he called, hoping to create confusion.

Cassandra was a little lost as hearing these words, especially given the after-effects of the knockout drug. "Hello?" she answered.

"Who are you? Get out of my truck immediately!" Don shouted, hoping the girl would come close enough to give her a good dosing.

Cassie clambered forward between some cupboards and over a lounge. "Where am I?" she questioned as she moved towards the light. She was a little slow, as the effort required to bridge the alternator to the key had drained a lot of her energy.

"Nationwide Movers. Let me give you a hand, and you can climb out and explain yourself." He helped the teen down onto the ramp and carefully eyed a vein in her arm. The syringe flashed down and slid sideways when the now-curved needle hit her flesh. "Huh?"

The teen twisted away from her attacker, not sure what she could do to protect herself beyond magnetically bending the hollow needle. She felt too unbalanced and weak to try any of the moves Jack had taught her, especially after the concentration and energy required to bend the needle. Fortunately Gordo chose that moment to awaken, open his door, reflexively reach for his key, and fall out of the truck thanks to the remaining electrical charge. This adequately distracted Don, giving Cassie a chance to jab him with his own needle.

Don bellowed and swung a solid fist at her head. It was sloppy enough not to do any great damage, but it was enough to knock her off the ramp. She tumbled into the dust beside the road and skinned her knees badly on a jutting rock. Her attacker slipped into an unresponsive heap on the ramp and then rolled off into the dust. Cassie barely moved out of the way in time to avoid being crushed.

Knowing instinctively that it was urgent that she leave her kidnappers before they had a chance to recapture her, and knowing better than to trust random highway-goes for help, Cassie decided to leave on foot. She would not be much safer running beside the highway, and would be easily spotted, so she crossed the dusty strip of ground to the fence that cut the highway off from the rest of the world. It would not be possible to climb unaided, but to her relief there was a conveniently-placed tree a few paces away.

Cassandra sluggishly scaled the tree and heaved herself onto the top of the fence. She succeeded in lowering herself enough to land gracelessly on the other side. At that point the shock of her situation, the remaining chemicals in her bloodstream, and the exertion of manipulating electromagnetic fields caught up with her. With the last of her energy, she laid her head on the soft, sweet-smelling turf on which she had landed. Then the darkness enveloped her and she left her pains for the bliss of unconsciousness.

Author's Note: I now have my own portable Stargate (mirror) from ThinkGeek :D Sorry for the delay, I spent a whole long-weekend (ANZAC Day) not actually writing and then finished up a chapter of a different fic. I'm considering shortening my chapters a bit so I update more often. Smaller chunks should have less inertia so I'm less likely to procrastinate. What say ye?


	11. You Bet Your Life

Chapter 11 – You Bet Your Life

"So now what do we do?" Leah asked between bites of a cheap salad sandwich. "With the disk, I mean."

"I know what you mean," Ivan replied, sounding a little short-tempered. He wasn't feeling too well after the mental strain of safely breaking into Area 51.

"Well?"

"I have just the person to send it to. By courier so there's no chance of it being lost in the mail or seized somehow. There's a place a couple of blocks from here that we can send it from. Then I want to sleep for the rest of the day."

"Alright, let's go. Do you have enough money for postage?"

"I've got a plan," Ivan answered cryptically.

When Leah saw the cost of sending the disk, she was very glad Ivan had a plan, because they would be lucky to have anything left over after paying.

"Want to make a bet?" Ivan asked Mitch, who was serving him.

"Eh, I don't know about that."

"Double or nothing."

"Depends on the bet."

"You don't have to take it after you see what it is." He fished in his pocket for a deck of cards. "Here, start thinking about choosing ten cards." Ivan began writing on the back of a brochure. When he was done, he folded it and placed it on the counter. "Okay, pick ten cards and stack them on the counter face-down without letting me see them."

Mitch did as he was instructed. "Now what?"

"I've written down ten cards, in order. I bet they are the same ten cards you chose, in the same order."

"Are you crazy? There's less than one in a million chance of you winning this."

"Alight. If I lose, I pay the postage and I give you the same amount again. If I win, you pay the postage and you give me the same amount."

Leah piped up and said, "Actually, there's less than one chance in fifty thousand million million of guessing this."

Mitch shrugged. "It's your money. I'll take it." He unfolded the paper and began flipping over the chosen cards. His face slowly fell. "This is crazy! How'd you do it?"

"Sorry, trade secret."

"Can't you at least give me a hint?" He began handing over the money.

"I'm just a lucky guy. So are you, actually."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Vonnie's going to say yes," Ivan answered over his shoulder as they left the building.

Mitch stared after them with bewilderment, and then shrugged. "I hope he's right," he muttered as he began to serve the next customer.

_At the SGC…_

Jack mentally took stock of the issues he was facing. Cassie had been injured and kidnapped, and might be causing magnetic problems again. Frasier's other kid had caused an information leak. Goa'uld ships were flying around covertly and taking deliveries. Daniel was missing, and so was his own daughter – his and Sam's. Julia Donovan was poking her nose into their business again, and Steven Rayner had vanished after being identified as another potential leak. Now there were reports of unexplainable goings-on at Area 51. To make matters worse, Sam was off-world playing with Replicators. At least that had potential of doing some good.

Jack glanced at his clock and saw that Sam should be checking in within a few minutes. He trusted she knew what she was doing, but he couldn't help but worry. Replicators were something he would always worry about.

The phone beeped and announced, "Sir, there's a call for you. A Mark Carter."

Great, just great. "Thanks, I'll take it." He pressed the appropriate button. "General O'Neill speaking."

"Uhh, I'm Mark Carter. My sister is..."

"A lieutenant colonel who is unavailable. Your dad was here briefly but he's not around at the moment either."

"Oh." Mark was evidently disappointed. "Where is she?"

"That would be classified," Jack replied in his typical offhand manner. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"I've read some rather strange tales about what goes on in your base. No names were mentioned, but it's pretty obvious that something other than 'deep space telemetry' goes on in that mountain."

"Yes, we do lots of training exercises."

"Whenever someone dies in there, it's on a training exercise. I checked the records."

"Then you'd be pleased to know that your sister is doing a research operation, not a training exercise."

"Knowing Sam, that doesn't reassure me."

"I trust she's taking proper precautions. I can't say anything beyond that, nor can I confirm or deny any speculation."

Mark sighed. "Just.. make sure she looks after herself, okay?"

"Excuse me for a moment." Walter had poked his head in the door. "Are we...?"

"Yes Sir. Receiving communication from Lieutenant Colonel Carter."

"I'll be right there." He picked up the phone. "Sorry about that. Sam's on the other line." A _very_ other line.

"She is?"

"I can patch you through if you like. Briefly, of course."

"Thanks, I'd like that. And I was just starting to wonder if she was really on some alien planet."

"Hold on a minute while I get this set up." He followed Walter to the control room and the subspace communicator. "Hi, Carter. Do you have a minute to take another call?"

"Sir?"

"Your brother is on the other line."

"Oh, I can spare a minute," Sam agreed.

"I'll patch you through."

Seconds later, Mark was unknowingly part of a very long distance call. "Hi, Mark. It's me, Sam."

"It's great to hear from you, Sammie."

"Mark!"

"Sorry, Sam. How are you?"

"I'm well. Pretty busy, but currently healthy and unhurt. What about you and the family?"

"We're all well. The kids have really grown since you last saw them. Remember that you're always welcome if you have some downtime."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"Have you seen Dad recently?"

"Yeah, this morning. He looks well."

"That's good to hear. Hey, you know that thing in the papers?"

"No, I don't. What thing?"

"The one about the Air Force sending people to other planets, and Earth being attacked by aliens called… Gowld? Goo-alld?"

Sam sounded innocently interested when she replied, "That sounds weird. I'll have to find a newspaper when I get a chance."

"Yeah, you do that. It's… pretty crazy."

"Thanks for pointing that out. Now I'd better talk with my C.O. Love you Bro."

"Love you Sis, and take care of yourself."

There was a click and Sam heard a different voice. "Well handled, Carter. Until you 'called', he was ready to believe you were off on some alien planet. Speaking of which, how's our friendly neighbourhood bugs?"

"Functioning as expected, Sir. They've reached the asteroid field we identified as a good source of metals, and are increasing the size of the ship as directed. In another half hour, Snakeskinner will be ready for the assault on Bast."

"That's great news," Jack answered, with obvious relief. "I figured something had to go right today."

"Yes, Sir. No luck on finding Cynthia or Daniel?"

"We haven't heard back from P4Z504 yet. Washington doesn't want to send Prometheus on a rescue mission yet, and we don't even know if they're actually on that planet. If we don't hear back from the locals within 3 days, we'll try sending a team through to make contact. So long as they don't gate into the middle of a gang fight, they should be able to get a good look around."

"It's too bad a UAV wouldn't get far before someone shot it down and sold the parts."

"Yes, and those things are too valuable to even try." Jack sounded like he wanted to try anyway but knew his superiors would not be happy at the waste of resources. "Don't worry Sam, they'll come back. Daniel never stays away for long, and our daughter is too resourceful to get completely stuck."

"I hope you're right, Jack."

"So… are the Replicators staying under control?"

"They are. And I had an idea for how we might make them easier to control."

"What would that be?"

"The game chairs! If we hook one or more up to the Replicator Collective through a subspace link, we would provide a much more intuitive interface."

"Game chairs? You mean like the one that kept zapping Teal'c?"

"Yes, but they wouldn't be able to do that. They would simply be configured as a way to display data from the Replicators and send commands to them. There wouldn't be any game or goal or learning system to worry about."

"And the benefit would be…?"

"We could more effectively and efficiently guide the Replicators to their targets and ensure they only do what we want. Also, a single person could guide one attack, rather than needing several people to each work on a small number of individual units."

"Ahh. I'll see if I can get one of the chairs shipped out to the Alpha Site. I hope we can get the leak under control, but if not and the program goes public, I'd rather have our best weapon against the Goa'uld run from the Alpha Site where it can't be shut down as easily."

"You're right Sir. I'll contact you in a couple of hours when Snakeskinner is nearing the target."

"I'll be eagerly awaiting your call, Carter."

"I'm sure you will be, Jack."

"Take care, and have fun with your new toy, Sam."

"I'll do that, Jack."

"There's… something else. More bad news."

"What is it, Sir?" Sam was very concerned at his tone of voice.

"Cassie. She's been kidnapped. We think it might be the Trust. The NID are looking into it, but there's no solid leads."

"Oh no! How's Janet handling it?"

"She's not allowed in the Gate Room in case she melts the Stargate by her proximity."

"Ahh. Tell her I wish I could be there to help."

"I'll do that. Also, there's evidence that her ability to do things with magnetic fields has returned." Sam gasped, but Jack continued. "If that wasn't bad enough, it looks like Janet's son is the source of the information leak – don't ask me how. Your friend Julia Donovan is snooping around, and Daniel's old colleague Steven Rayner seems to have remembered the Osiris incident. Oh, and their might have been a security breach at Area 51."

"That's terrible!"

"Yeah. So you concentrate on kicking the snakeheads where it hurts, and I'll see what I can do to straighten out this planet."

"Good luck, Sir."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

_Meanwhile, on P4Z504…_

"How much further?" Daniel asked tiredly.

"At the rate we're going? About a day," Vala replied.

"Oh. Can't we speed things up a bit more?"

"That depends," Cynthia replied.

"On?"

"Whether you want to get to the stargate or the afterlife. You fail to appreciate the fine line between flying forward and scattering our molecules over the jungle below."

"Not very far below," Vala pointed out.

"I could go a little higher."

"Then why don't you? Those trees are rather close," Daniel worried.

"If we went higher, we'd also need to go slower, and it might take a whole week to fly around the planet. Since I think we'd all kill each other within a week, I can put up with flying dangerously low."

"I'm the one who's doing the actual flying," Vala grumbled.

"If you want a break, I'm willing to try," Cynthia suggested.

"Well, it can't hurt to try. Unless we crash, of course."

"If anyone needs me, I'll be cowering in a corner," Daniel announced. "Is there anything to read? Besides the labels on bottled water, that is."

"If you want to look in the repair manual for a way to magically fix everything, go ahead," Vala instructed, annoyed at him for bringing up the water bottle incident again.


	12. Trouble at Home, Success Abroad

Chapter 12 – Trouble at Home, Success Abroad

"Agent Barrett! I hope you're calling with good news about Cassie."

"I'm afraid not, General," the NID agent replied. "We still don't have any solid leads. However, we have found our two runaways."

"Ivan and Leah? Where are they?"

"Unfortunately, it's a matter of where they _were_, and it's not good. As you know, two Area 51 staff were indisposed for a couple of hours, and their IDs were used. With very close examination of the security footage, we were able to determine that Ivan and Leah gained access to Area 51."

"That's… frightening. What did they access?"

"We don't know for sure. They proved extremely proficient at avoiding cameras and other people in the facility."

"Great. I'll make finding them a priority, and have my people work alongside yours. These kids can't stay hidden for long."

_Elsewhere…_

"So… now where do we go?" Leah Lincoln asked.

Ivan didn't seem to be listening. "Hmm?"

"We just broke into Area 51. Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I didn't break anything," Ivan countered.

"No, but you don't want to get caught either."

"True. We'll need to keep our heads down. Literally."

"Huh?"

"I'm exhausted."

"Will we be safe in a hotel?"

"They shouldn't expect us to stay in town. And if they do come looking for us, I should know ahead of time."

"I trust you will. And… I need to apologise for doubting you. You're not crazy and you're definitely not making any of this up."

Ivan wasn't sure how to respond. "Thanks. No one has really trusted be before. No one who matters, I mean. My dad always checked on everything I did – he was never satisfied with my word on anything."

"It matters to you that I trust you," Leah observed.

"Of course. You're the only friend I have."

"Only?"

"Well, I guess I have a few friends back home, but there's no way I'm going back there."

"Won't you miss people?"

"No really. I didn't get the chance to make any really close friends, thanks to my dad. He wanted to keep me from 'bad influences'."

"Girlfriends?"

Ivan snorted in derision. "Yeah, the old man would have loved that."

"I'll take that as a 'no'."

"He wanted to keep me from making the same mistake he made," Ivan clarified. "Though I can't say it was so bad, since I'm alive as a result. Not that he didn't try preventing that." The young man shook his head sadly. "None of that matters now. Here, this looks likely." He pointed at a hotel with peeling paint.

"Looks rather run down."

Ivan shrugged. "It's a place to sleep. We should be safe from the Air Force for at least a while."

"Alright, but I'm not paying."

"Me neither, if I can help it." Ivan pushed open the front door, which announced his presence with a noisy creak.

"Welcome to The Curtain Hotel," greeted the unshaven proprietor, who sat behind a wooden desk. "Can I get you a room?"

Ivan slowly approached the desk, and finally replied, "One room, two beds, on Mario."

"You know Mario?"

"He sends his greetings from Vanuatu, and says to 'mind the step'."

"Ahh, any friend of Mario is a friend of mine."

"Great to hear that."

"Two beds," the man echoed, running a head through his greying hair.

"One room?" Leah questioned.

"That's what I said," Ivan confirmed.

The man scribbled in a notebook with a chewed pen before tossing Ivan a key. "Drop that off when you need to check out. Stairs are to your left."

"Will do," Ivan agreed, before ushering Leah to the stairs.

"What was that 'Mario' business about?" Leah wondered, once they had reached the floor above.

Ivan shrugged. "Some old war buddy."

"Oh. You read his mind."

"I read his past. Not the same thing."

"Why the one room?"

"So I can keep a close eye on you, in case someone comes after us. If you're in another room, I might not be able to warn you in time." As he said that, he unlocked their door and they stepped inside. It wasn't particularly impressive, but they didn't need impressive.

"Fair enough. You know, you don't look so good."

"I don't feel so good," Ivan agreed. "All that focussed… whatever you call it…"

"Precognition?"

"That sounds alright. The Area 51 stuff took a lot out of me, and then there was the card trick and ensuring that we'll be safe from the Air Force, and the Mario thing." He kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the nearest bed. "Wake me up in three hours and we'll see about some dinner."

"Okay." Leah watched as Ivan quickly fell asleep. Looking for a way to kill some time, she took a small notepad out of her pocket and began jotting down ideas of what to do next.

_Meanwhile…_

"Fools! I am most displeased at your display on incompetence!" Charlotte Mayfield bellowed. "I instructed you to keep her sedated!"

"I don't know how she woke up!" Gordo protested.

"Perhaps the naquadah in her bloodstream…" Don suggested.

"Perhaps. You will know better next time. And you will also remember to use _plastic_ restraints!"

"Yes boss," the men answered contritely.

"Now, get back to the area you lost her, and see if you can find any sign of her. As soon as you or any one else finds any sign of her, I want you to bring her to me. And by Anubis, do it properly!" She muttered something to herself which sounded like, "May his scaly hide burn with Netu."

The men quickly left and were soon replaced by a messenger. "My lady, we have received word that Sage and Lincoln recently infiltrated Area 51."

"That is pleasing news. I expect they are still in the region. Have them found and brought to me. Anyone with the skill to breach such security will be of value." Athena's eyes flashed as she smiled malevolently.

"It shall be done, my lady."

_At the Alpha Site…_

"She's nearly there," Lieutenant Hailey announced, referring to Snakeskinner's progress.

Sam pressed a key on the subspace communicator. "SGC, this is Snake Handler 1. Snakeskinner is approaching the target zone."

"Understood," Jack replied. "Standing by to watch the show."

The lieutenant read out items from the computer screen. "Dropping out of hyperspace in 3, 2, 1, mark." The Replicator ship entered normal space in Bastet's primary system. "Scanning for targets. A total of 4 Ha'tak class vessels detected."

"Let's see how soon they notice us," said Sam.

"Detecting transmission from the closest ship. Translation: 'Surrender or be destroyed.' Automatically broadcasting pre-recorded Goa'uld message: 'Hand over Bastet or we will board.'"

Jack spoke from the SGC. "Let's see what they think of that."

"Message received: 'You will pay for your insolence.' They are opening fire. Responding with boarding party."

"Are they hitting us?"

"The Replicator block hull has not been affected by the Goa'uld energy weapons. Two more ships are drawing into firing-range. The first Replicator mass has breached their shields and attached to the ship. They are beginning to eat their way inside while ensuring atmosphere is not vented. Boarding party has been fired towards the other two ships, and the fourth is drawing near."

"Nice!"

_On the first Ha'tak…_

Mol'nok was the highest-ranking ship commander of Bastet, which wasn't saying much, since the Goa'uld naturally gave little actual authority to her Jaffa. He surveyed the scene before him, and observed the lack of damage the intruder was taking. "Shall we launch the Death Gliders, O Goddess?" he asked.

"Yes, have them ram the enemy vessel," the face in the communication ball replied.

"It shall be done," Mol'nok replied. He shouted an order and his best pilots began to march to their posts. Their progress was interrupted.

"There are creatures of metal crawling through the halls!" a worried Jaffa reported. "I have never seen such a thing!" another added.

"Show me!" Mol'nok commanded. This was not necessary, as a wave of Replicators swept into the room. They were unholy creatures of animated metal. Such a thing should not exist. "Destroy the abominations! They are an affront to Bastet!"

Futile staff blasts were fired. The machines were knocked back, but not damaged. Zat'nik'tel bolts did not harm them either. The creatures appeared to be harmless until one wrenched a Zat away from its wielder and succeeded in stunning several Jaffa. Mol'nok kept out of the way and returned to the communication globe. "My Lady, the ship has been overrun by creatures of metal! We can not destroy them, and they are preventing the glider bay doors from opening."

"This is not acceptable."

Mol'nok tried some more of the controls. "There is nothing we can do, Goddess. They control the ship."

"Set the self destruct. I will not let them have my ship."

The Jaffa tried his hardest, but it was in vain. "I have failed you. The creatures are preventing all actions. May I suggest you have the other ships destroy this one before they attempt to escape?"

"The other ships are in the same situation. The intruders may control the ships, but they do not rule my army. You will use the rings to evacuate as many as you can."

"It shall be done."

Bastet sat in her jewelled throne within her gold-walled palace, watching as slaves catered to every whim. Idly she rose, deciding to destroy the living machines herself, after her captains had withdrawn. They had become too confident; now she would remind everyone that she was the Goddess, and no mortal could presume to have any power but that which she provided. She slunk towards the transport room, hearing it activate for the first time. The walls glittered with light as the payload materialised.

Instead of a group of Jaffa, a pile of irregular metal shapes sat before her. As she watched, the stack broke up into separate crawling entities, each squeaking and whirring as it moved. The machines crept toward her, splitting into two streams in order to surround her. She the jewel in her palm glowed, and a stream of energy blasted the leaders. They were knocked back a couple of feet by the force of the disturbance, and responded by leaping forwards, landing at her feet.

The Goa'uld took a step backwards and activated her personal shield. It kept the attackers out, but did not prevent them from creeping up and over her. The blocks reformed into a solid cylinder surrounding her. Not willing to accept defeat yet, she pressed a button to expand the protective field. The cylinder of force pushed out against the rows of interlocked Replicator blocks. They gripped each other tightly, drawing additional energy from their subspace link.

For a minute, nothing happened. However, the shield was designed primarily for deflecting short energy bursts, not for sustaining a constant force against a heavy kinetic attack. The naquadah power source could not sustain such a long energy drain, and eventually gave out. Bastet was divested of the hand device by metallic claws, but before she could complain, a blast from a stolen Zat gun silenced her.

_At the Alpha Site…_

"Bastet is out," Jen reported. "Waiting to see if the host is able to surface."

A faint voice was detected, speaking Goa'uld. "Please… kill me."

"How long have you been host?" The pre-recorded question was sent through subspace link to the Replicators surrounding Bastet, and was rendered audible as a spooky collection of vibrations.

"Hundreds of… years. Please let me die… free."

"Do it," the voice of General O'Neill ordered.

Sam typed the appropriate command, and the Zat released a lethal energy bolt.

"Good work, Carter and Hailey."

"Thank you, Sir. It's not over yet, there's still the cleanup phase. Teal'c is preparing to address the now leaderless Jaffa." The Jaffa who wished to join the resistance would be left in control of the ships, and the others – which should be few - would be prisoners. Once the situation became stable, an SG team could make peaceful contact with the human inhabitants. The Replicators would also locate and secure any sarcophagus and other interesting Goa'uld technology.

"Excellent. Do you think you can save us a ship? Snakeskinner is cool and all, but I'd like to have something that's not made of tiny moving blocks." A Replicator ship was just too creepy for Jack's liking. Goa'uld ships were ostentatious, but they were pieces of solid unchanging engineering.

"Jack, you know they'll be best used by the Jaffa resistance. But there are plenty more System Lords, so I'm sure we can find a spare one later."

"I'll hold you do that, Sam. I'll leave you to it. Call if you need any supplies sent for the freed inhabitants, and I'll see what we can do for them."

"Yes sir, and good luck with the situations on Earth." There was a lot more Sam wanted to say, but now was not a good time.

Author's Note: Hooray, finally a success! Let's see how long it lasts. Also, I just noticed that it won't let me put multiple line breaks between sections...


	13. Inside Access

Chapter 13 – Inside Access

Warren Minchley (The Third) looked out at his back porch, having arrived home from an afternoon of tea with business acquaintances. "Bev dear, why aren't the back lights on? They should be on."

"The lights aren't on? They're programmed to come on by now," Bev shouted back from somewhere in the too-big house. "Check the globes. Perhaps the gardener broke them."

"It's not hedge day, Bev. More likely those lousy kids from next door." He poked his head outside and saw that the bulbs appeared intact – or were they? He found a torch, and with the increased light, saw that all the bulbs had blown. "The bulbs are fine, but the filaments are toast. They must have been installed together, because they've all failed at the same time."

"Don't be silly, the middle one was replaced last month."

"I'm only telling you what I'm seeing… oh!" He spotted something on the ground, close to the fence.

"Whatever is it, Warren?" Bev sounded annoyed.

Warren tentatively stepped closer. A girl lay prone on the grass. Her face was scratched, her clothes creased and grubby, and her arm bore a couple of obvious punctures. He jostled her shoulder with his foot (after ensuring there was no blood to foul his shoe) and received no response. "Some strung-out druggie. And this is supposed to be a _good_ neighbourhood."

Bev – who had come to the door but remained inside – muttered something about rich kids affording drugs. Not wishing to stand the intrusion any longer than necessary, she picked up the phone and called the local police station.

_Elsewhere…_

Only two and a half hours passed before Ivan was woken. A loud rapping on the door startled him from slumber. "The bar's opening and the kitchen's taking orders," a female voice called, apparently ignorant of the ages of the room's occupants.

"Who's that?" Leah asked.

"The owner's wife… and she's a Goa'uld!" Ivan found himself faced with visions himself and Leah being stunned and dragged away as soon as they went downstairs, but as soon as he shouted, they vanished. Accidentally letting her know that they knew what she was had apparently altered the possible futures.

"You mean she's…" Leah's question was silenced by a hand over her mouth. Ivan was evidently trying to concentrate.

"Quick, the fire escape! If we run we should be able to beat her," he ordered loudly. Leah looked on quizzically as Ivan stood still, and then understood when he quietly opened the door and pulled her after him. The Goa'uld was evidently running around to the back of the building while they quickly escaped through the front. Ivan dropped the key on the desk, where the proprietor gave them an odd look.

The pair stopped to catch their breath when they were a safe distance away. Ivan had chosen a zigzag path between blocks, for which Leah assumed there was some good reason which she was unable to see. After a bout of heavy breathing she asked, "What was all that about?"

"That woman, she'd been taken over by a Goa'uld. She wanted to capture us alive."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I saw… I saw it possessing her, only an hour ago. Also, she had a Goa'uld weapon," Ivan explained.

Leah looked concerned. "An hour ago? They must have known we were here. Whoever 'they' are."

"I assume it's the people behind that ship you photographed. They must have known we were in the area," Ivan guessed.

"But how?"

"Well, they would have matched up the photos and figured that you were behind the leak about the Stargate Program. Which means they know the Air Force is also after us."

"So they must have found out that we were at Area 51, implying a security leak and also that we've been identified as the people who got into Area 51," Leah completed.

Ivan agreed. "Yeah, that sounds logical."

"You're looking better for some sleep," Leah noted.

"It helped. Though I'm feeling a bit off after trying to see who sent that Goa'uld. I did get a bit of a look at it's memories but they were far too evil to handle for more than an instant. It's fortunate I'm good at blocking out my visions, or…" There was no need to finish the sentence.

"I figure we'd better get out of here now, before they find us again," Leah suggested.

Ivan responded with a nod and elaborated, "Public transport would be a bad idea. Hitchhiking would be alright, though."

Leah frowned. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into?"

"Yes," Ivan replied simply.

"Yeah, of course. But since everyone will be looking for us together, shouldn't we split up?"

"Definitely not. They'd be more likely to catch you on your own, and then they'd use you as leverage to get to me. You're much safer with me, and you're my responsibility since I pulled you into this."

"Huh? You saved me after I published those pictures. I'm more responsible for this than you are," Leah argued.

Ivan shrugged. "We'll stick together. We wouldn't be any safer apart and I'd kinda miss you."

"Kinda?"

"Yeah, it's nice having you around."

Leah smiled. "I can tell you're not looking into this conversation's future."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ivan wondered if she meant he'd said something wrong.

"When you do that, you hardly pay attention to what I'm saying, and only say what's absolutely necessary. This is much nicer."

"Oh, good. Um, we'd better go left here if we want to find a driver to take us out of here."

"Ivan, are we in great danger of being caught?"

"Shh."

"Sorry," Leah whispered.

"Just kidding, we're fine for now."

"Oh." She poked him with an elbow and asked, "But for how long?"

"Hmm… ten minutes?"

"Is that enough?"

"Barely. We'll be okay."

"Good." Leah felt a lot safer after that reassurance, so she followed in silence the remainder of the way.

Back at the Curtain Hotel, the owners wife put down the phone… and then wondered why she was standing with her hand on the phone. She hadn't been about to call anyone – not as far as she could remember. Perhaps she shouldn't have helped herself to the bar so early. She had a vague memory of calling people down for the bar and kitchen. Yes, she ought to get back to finishing that.

_At the SGC…_

General O'Neill had joined a few off-duty officers in the rec room, where they waited for Inside Access to begin. Jack counted this as something he had to see, since it might impact on the security of the base. He had briefly spoken with the president about the possibility of shutting the show down, but it hadn't been an option. American citizens had the right to speculate, and an attempt to squash the story would be seen as an admission. Curbing the right to free speech would not look good, and outright denial would probably not convince anyone, and would put the administration in bad light when the truth eventually came out.

The only option was to try to ignore the situation and hope it went away, with the help of some strategic distractions and counter rumours (and smoke and mirrors) to facilitate the 'moving on' of public interest. But for now, Julia Donovan had the right to do her thing, and do it she did. The theme tune played and the woman herself appeared onscreen.

"Good evening viewers! We're here with a panel representing a wide range of opinions and areas of expertise. Today the question on everyone's tongue is: Is the current administration and military covering up the existence of alien life and interstellar travel? I such a this even possible? Could this really have been hiding under our noses for thousands of years? If it's true, what effect does it have on our lives?

"Our first interviewee is a familiar face to regular viewers: Professor Robert Able, known to fans as Professor Probable. Professor: could a device such as this 'Stargate' – which allegedly can send humans instantaneously to planets throughout the galaxy - actually exist?"

The grey-haired gentleman cracked his knuckled, as was his habit. "If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said no. From what we knew of theoretical physics, it appeared that to hold open a wormhole – a tunnel forming a shortcut through space – would require exotic forms of matter which we can not practically produce or store, and which would interfere with actual travel through the wormhole. Also, the initial act of tearing a hole through space would require amounts of energy far beyond our reach and would be far more likely – almost certain – to cause massive destruction rather than anything useful."

"What happened to change that opinion?"

"I have since read a paper by a young PhD student named Cynthia Sanders, which provided an alternate approach to wormhole formation which avoids the problems of older theories. I believe she is currently researching practical wormhole physics. She recently published a preliminary report detailing her progress, which included opening some small semi-stable wormholes. This work is not widely known, but it shows the possibility of such a device as this Stargate actually existing."

Jack groaned at this turn of events. He had not considered that Cynthia's work could be held up as proof that the Stargate might exist, but it was too late to do anything about it now. At least she hadn't been connected to Sam or himself yet.

Julia seemed quite pleased. "Very interesting, professor. Do you think the rest of the story around the Stargate could be true?"

"I believe it is unlikely. While in principle it is possible, the claims sound like they were devised by a person who has been exposed to an unhealthily large dose of science fiction. In particularly, the idea that a creature could control the body of a host creature is quite far-fetched, and the claims of personal 'force shields' is quite ludicrous."

"How would you react if it was revealed to all be true?"

"It would be quite shocking. But since life has gone on so long without knowing such a thing, I would hope it shouldn't make too much difference. No matter what lies among the stars, we all face the same daily issues. At best, I would hope we could find the motivation and resources to improve the standard of living for everyone on Earth. And if these 'Goa'uld' really exist, it would be frightening, but it sounds like we've allegedly fought them off without too much trouble so far, so it wouldn't be a huge issue."

"Thank you very much for sharing your opinions, Professor. It was very enlightening. Next up we have Mr Brett Pearce, founder of a local UFO spotting society. Mr Pearce, do you think the government and military are covering up the existence of aliens?"

"Well, sure they are! But this Gow-old thing is all wrong. The aliens, they're grey, and they take people to experiment and try to cure diseases. They don't go around blowing things up and enslaving people."

"What about the Stargate? Does the idea have any merit, in your opinion?"

"Yeah, maybe it was a gift, from the Greys. If we mess up the environment too badly, we have a way to escape, see?"

"Yes, I see what you're saying. What would you do if everything in the article was found to be true?"

"Heh, I'd find a nice lush planet where I could live forever in harmony with nature, and there was lots of friendly likeminded people from all the races of the universe. And I'd start an alien orchestra, yeah that would be great."

Julia cut in before he could go any further down this wild path. "Thank you, Mr Pearce. That was… inspiring. Our third interviewee is Miss Roslyn Weeks, a local high school teacher with a degree in biology. Welcome, Miss Weeks."

"Please, call me Ros."

"What do you think of the suggestion that there are several other forms of intelligent life – both humanoid and otherwise – living in this galaxy, Ros?"

"Extremely unlikely. Many people think that because there is life on one planet, it could easily come to exist elsewhere, but that's not the case. The odds of life coming to exist even once under so-called 'ideal conditions' are so tiny that I can only believe that it happened because it's obvious. The chances of it happening more than once are unthinkably small."

"Could the existence of aliens and interstellar travel be something that has been intentionally concealed from the public?"

"I don't think so. It's too big a thing to hide, and there would be historical records supporting it. There's no way this could be real."

"What if it was?"

"I would be very upset that such a thing has been kept hidden. The military have no right to use our tax dollars to gain technology which they intend to keep to themselves. I would demand that the Stargate be sold to a public company so we can all have a say in how it is used, as shareholders, rather than the Air Force secretly using our money for its own ends. If they need to use it to defend Earth we can let them, but it should be used to benefit civilians first and foremost, rather than as a mere weapon."

Jack wondered how she had come to such a vocal opinion if she was so opposed to the possibility of it being true in the first place. Some people were rather vocal and inconsistent in their opinions, and that irked him.

Julia Donovan had not expected this tirade either, but she didn't let it show, and moved on to a different angle. "How would you react to the existence of hostile and technologically advanced aliens?"

"I'm sure it would be quite frightening, but… not completely terrifying. If they appeared in the sky and started attacking us and we had no way to fight back, that would be terrifying, but since they aren't here and we're not defenceless – if they really existed, which I very much doubt – I don't see why we shouldn't be able to handle the threat. There's war and terror happening around the world even now, but that doesn't stop me from getting out of bed every morning."

Jack wondered whether this optimistic ideal would bear out if the truth was revealed. Sure, some people would handle it, and others simply wouldn't care, but he was sure there would be plenty of people panicking.

"Thanks for your viewpoint, Ros. Now for our final speaker: the best-selling archaeologist, Doctor Steven Rayner."

Jack muttered a curse under his breath. So that's where the man had gone to.

"Thanks for having me on the show," Steven replied.

"Thank you for agreeing to appear. My first question for you is this: is there evidence of these Goa'uld having been present on Earth?"

"Archaeology has many mysteries, and many interpretations of the available evidence. The majority view is that no such evidence exists, but it's possible that it's there but we haven't found it or have found a way to interpret it that doesn't resort to invoking aliens. We obviously can't explain finds by using unknowns such as aliens, but that does not exclude the possibility that we have not found such unknowns because we don't know what to look for. In summary, there's no obvious evidence for them, but there's no categorical evidence against them either."

Now that was a clear-cut case of fence-sitting, if the General had ever seen one.

"Intriguing. What do you say to the claim that the 'goddess' Hathor was found in a sarcophagus by the Kleinhouse expedition, and that the artefact ended up in the hands of the USAF?"

"Kleinhouse's expedition definitely found a sarcophagus in a Mayan temple, and it did bear Egyptian hieroglyphs, including one of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. They are known to have been killed brutally in the vault, and the sarcophagus was clearly sent to my former colleague Doctor Daniel Jackson, due to his unique research on the cross-pollination of ancient cultures."

"Research which resulted in him being ostracised from the archaeological community," Julia added.

"Yes, it was not a popular idea. The existence of this sarcophagus shows there was some merit in the idea. Whether this means these 'Goa'uld' creatures once existed or not remains to be determined."

"Where is Doctor Jackson now that academia has no place for him?"

"He's been working on a classified Air Force project at the Cheyenne Mountain base."

"The alleged location of the Stargate," Julia filled in. "Do you know of any other anomalous finds?"

"There was an amulet which gave an unusually old date, but both it and the test results were lost in an unfortunate incident I would rather not discuss, for personal reasons."

Jack was rather relieved that the man had kept quiet about the Osiris situation for now.

"If this was the truth, what would you think of the government for covering it up?"

"I would say that the cover up was a mistake. If there are really aliens, and alien artefacts are sitting undiscovered on Earth, we should be warned about the potential danger. If we are really under threat of invasion, we should know about it so we can prepare! Hoping they can secretly defend the planet so we never need to know about it may seem like a noble sentiment, but we're much better off if we can appreciate the dangers."

"What would this mean for you as an archaeologist?"

"It would shatter a lot of the preconceptions we've held, which would be disruptive, but it would leave us open to new possibilities. Discovering such an incredible truth would give us a whole new understanding of history. And if it's really possible to easily step though a device to other planets where our ancestors were taken, then there is so much we could learn about human culture."

"You make some very good points. Thank you for sharing with us, Doctor Rayner. We'll be back with more revelations from Inside Access after a quick commercial break."

_Meanwhile…_

Cassandra Frasier awoke to a dark, cold, room. She was alone in the gloom, and surrounded by concrete walls. She sat up, rubbed her bleary eyes, and turned around. The fourth side of the small room – or cell – was barred. This meant she was yet again a captive. Strangely, her hands were free. She still wore the same clothes, which were grubby from her roll in the dirt, but her footwear had been removed. Apart from a camera watching her closely, she was alone.

Unwilling to remain locked up, she relaxed until she could sense the camera, or rather its electrical flows. After careful consideration and concentration, she was able to freeze the image, as far as she could tell. Sensing what was going on inside an electronic device was a very new and unique experience, so it was not easy to determine whether she had actually succeeded. As soon as she was done, she set to work on the lock, which was much easier. Since she could force the individual components separately, it was far more straightforward than picking a lock by hand.

She headed for the only door, passing a couple more empty cells. Voices on the other side of the door warned her that escape would not be easy. Her concentration had been broken as soon as she moved away from her cell, so she didn't have much time before someone noticed that she had vanished. In fact, they noticed quicker than she expected, and she was barely able to jump backwards in time to avoid being smacked in the head by the opening door.

Before the new arrival had time to react, Cassie had rushed through the doorway. She was greeted by unexpected surroundings. "What… why am I in a police station?"

"Don't move!" bellowed the voice of the uniformed man behind her.

The teen froze. "Okay, not moving."

"How did you get out of your cell?"

"How did I get into a cell?" she responded, unsure of what was going on, or who to trust. "What am I accused of?"

"Trespassing, vandalism, and suspicion of substance abuse," the cop replied.

"WHAT? Okay, I guess I was trespassing, but I was trying to escape from kidnappers, so I had a good reason to climb over that fence."

"Kidnappers?" The man did not sound very believing.

"Yes, they're the ones who drugged me. It was just some strong sedative, I think."

"I think she's just a victim here," interposed a friendly voice. Cassie turned to see a young man who she immediately categorised as 'cute'.

"Stay out of this, Cadet," the first man ordered. "She just escaped from her cell for goodness' sake!" He turned back to Cassie. "How'd you do that?"

"Classified," Cassie told him.

"You must think you're funny," he told her humourlessly.

Cassie shook her head. "No, I'm quite serious. My mom is a major at the Cheyenne Mountain military base."

"Do you have an ID?" he demanded.

"Uh, not on me, no. I thought you would know that."

The cop – Cassie hadn't bothered to read his name – opened his mouth to say something which was likely nasty, but the cadet was able to pre-empt him. "Since we brought her in for questioning, shouldn't she be questioned properly, rather than while standing in the corridor?"

"Fine. Follow me," the cop grumbled. Cassie followed him down the hall, giving a smile to the cadet. He returned it with a friendly grin. Obviously he didn't see her as a threat or potential criminal.

The trio passed the lobby where the TV was playing loudly. None of them paid much attention until Cassie jumped at the sound of a familiar voice. "Off-world activation!"

Author's Note: Wow, this somehow became rather long! Hope you all enjoyed reading :D


	14. Revelation

Chapter 14 - Revelation

Note: references to Cold Lazarus, Bane, Upgrades, Seth, and Affinity. Oh, and quite a bit about Covenant.

_A little earlier..._

"Welcome back to Inside Access! Tonight we're discussing the Stargate Story, and the next item on the agenda is some rather interesting video footage. You might want to sit down for this, and hold onto your hats."

Jack had a very bad feeling about this. He immediately snatched the phone from the wall and pressed the button for the SGC switchboard operator. "Get me the Inside Access studio, now!" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" the operator replied, already pressing the appropriate buttons.

Jack soon found himself queued behind dozens of callers. On the TV screen, his suspicions were confirmed. The Earth Stargate and access ramp filled most of the screen. It was still for a moment, but quickly burst into life, accompanies by the regular klaxon, warning message, and Jack swearing loudly. He still didn't have a clue how those kids got into Area 51, but they had to be behind the appearance of this footage. This was very, very bad.

_About the same time__..._

"Very interesting video footage? Do you suppose someone had videoed funny lights in the sky again?" Mark Carter wondered.

"Hush, it might be interesting," his wife answered.

It was. "Okay, that's not what I was expecting. Do you think that's the 'star gate'?" The big ring on the screen did fit what had had been written in the newspaper, except that it looked far more impressive that the few words had indicated. On top of that, it looked less like a crazy theory and more like reality, making its appearance rather worrying.

"It's a big ring with lights and strange symbols. Meets the description."

"But it could be plastic for all we know," Mark pointed out, not ready to accept anything without question. "Whoa, now what's happening?" The chevrons had begun to glow and a noisy warning siren had started. Seconds later, a rippling blue light was reflected off the back wall. "Okay, this is officially weird."

"Listen," his wife whispered, not wanting to miss anything.

"Receiving IDC – it's SG-1. They're back about two hours early," a voice announced.

"Open the iris," another voice responded authoritatively.

The metal iris in the centre of the ring slowly scraped open, revealing a shimmering bright blue vertical pool. The Carters couldn't help but gasp at the beautiful sight, but they were soon startled by a volley of energy bursts flying out from the ring. These were shortly followed by a trio of bodies, who leaped out and dropped low on the ramp. Another energy burst shot over their heads, causing the viewers to flinch.

"Close the iris!" a female voice shouted. This immediately occurred, and shortly after, a pair of impacts were heard. A few seconds later, the blue glow vanished, with an accompanying noise. The three bodies soon righted themselves and rose, looking a little battered. One was quickly recognised.

"Sam!"

"You're right, it's her!"

Mark stared at the screen, wearing a pained expression. "This… this is real."

"But how much? This doesn't prove that we can travel to other planets or that alien life is out there," his wife said sceptically.

"Given that someone was shooting at them, I'd say it's a fair guess. This must be what 'analysis of deep space radar telemetry' really is, and I can't say I like it much."

"You really think there's hostile aliens out there?"

Mark's worried eyes met his wife's frightened ones. "I'm afraid so," he admitted.

_In Colorado Springs…_

Krista James sat alone in her apartment. She'd nearly moved out, after the death of her abusive boyfriend, but she realised that moving away would be giving in to fear, and she didn't want to leave her friends in the area. Even so, she was reluctant to start dating again, partly due to the high expectations she'd gained from knowing Teal'c, and partly because she was afraid the wrong guy might inadvertently goad her into doing something regrettable, like she'd done to Doug.

Therefore, she was sprawled on her couch, lazily watching whatever was on TV. The show she was watching seemed rather outrageous, and for a moment she thought she'd accidentally changed to the scifi channel during the ad break. She realised this was not the case when she recognised an extremely familiar face – and forehead tattoo. Beside Teal'c, she recognised Samantha Carter, who she had briefly met after being kidnapped, and Daniel Jackson, Teal'c's friend who had also been held by the kidnappers. She knew that Teal'c was not Daniel's research assistant, and now it looked like he was from a place much more distant than Mozambique.

"Wow, I've had an alien warrior in my apartment," she realised, noticing the staff he carried, which she decided must be an alien weapon. "I've learned alien fighting techniques," she added, thinking back to the training she'd received. "And… I've been in bed with an alien. Not many women on Earth can say that." Thinking about Teal'c was a rather effective way to try to ignore the more frightening ramifications of what she'd just seen.

_Meanwhile, in another part of the hood…_

Eric stared at the TV in teenaged glee, recognising his friend who had lived in the area not long ago. The big guy had jumped out of a ring from nowhere and dropped to the ground in time to barely avoid an energy burst which had also appeared from nowhere. "T the man! Now that's gotta deserve mad alien props! This is so wickedly cool!" His tired mother shushed him before his exuberance could get any further.

_And at the Air Force Academy…_

A small cluster of female cadets had found an opportunity to watch television, and were vocally discussing what they had seen. "Hey, that's Major Sam Carter! She gave a couple of lectures last year."

"No, she's been promoted."

"Is that thing really under Cheyenne Mountain?"

"Now this will make an interesting essay."

"That's Daniel Jackson, the archaeologist who Doctor Jordan mentioned."

"You mean the one who was kicked out for his crazy theories?"

"They're not so crazy!"

"And he's cute! What, you were all thinking it!"

A girl who had been silent so far finally had a chance to get a word in. "The other guy is Teal'c."

The others looked at her oddly. "You know him, Ally?" one asked.

"Yeah, I met him years ago. He gave me an awesome water gun. I knew there was something alien about him. He didn't have hair back then though."

The conversation continued with speculation about SG-1, the Stargate, whether they wanted to work for the SGC some day, and how this related to their coursework.

_Elsewhere…_

Sara Callen – formerly Sara O'Neill – sighed as she recognised her ex-husband's voice. This was obviously the Stargate mentioned by Jack's (still unexplained) double. She still didn't know what kind of mess the man had landed himself in, and wasn't expecting answers, but she did at least hope he was safe.

_At the same time…_

Hillary Neworth, a waitress at O'Malley's, blinked several times to be sure of what she was seeing. Not only were people appearing out of nowhere from a huge ring, but two of them were definitely recognisable from posters of customers not allowed in the restaurant.

_Yet another scene change later…_

"So much for 'Seriously Green Cows,' Emma muttered to herself. She'd been very worried about Cassie ever since the kidnapping, and had wondered what was really going on. Now she knew. All the weird stuff that had been going on had something to do with aliens or alien technology, which was why Cassie had needed the doctors – or something else – at the SGC. And that was probably why someone had kidnapped her. Whatever the reason, Emma hoped Cassie would survive to tell her about it.

_In the White House…_

President Hayes groaned at this development, but recovered quickly. He turned to an aide and ordered, "Get me an immediate meeting with General Hammond, General O'Neill, Richard Woolsey, and my speechwriter."

_At the Inside Access recording studio…_

"Calm down, everyone!" Julia Donovan ordered her anxious interviewees. Doctor Rayner was slightly smug rather than anxious, but that was offset by an equal amount of confusion from the crew. Julia hadn't told anyone about the tape she'd received, so it was a complete shock to them all. "Sit down, Miss Weeks. We're still live."

"We might not be alive for much longer," Professor Probable interrupted, changing his tune from earlier.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Julia assured him. "From what we've been told, there is a whole mountain full of very dedicated people who's job has been to protect Earth for the past several years. Knowing about the danger won't cause us to be suddenly overrun by aliens." Actually, she was rather concerned, but she put a brave face on because she knew that if she panicked, all her viewers would follow.

"But this changes everything," Ros Weeks countered. "A whole galaxy of life is open to us. And we're sitting here as a target for the whole galaxy. I can't believe the government would hide…"

"Rubbish," Brett spat. "It's all a conspiracy to cover up the greys. They're the true aliens, this is all a distraction."

"I don't know about your greys, but I was personally attacked by the Goa'uld Osiris, so I can confirm what the article says about them," Steven interjected.

"You didn't mention that before," Julia replied.

"No one would have believed me before. I can't give you all the details, but they can definitely 'possess' humans, and they really can make their eyes glow."

"Was anyone else with you at the time?"

"Yes, Doctor Jackson was showed up, and some women from the Air Force. A medical doctor whose name I forget, and a blonde scientist – the one from the clip. She's been on this show before." He declined the mention that he'd been unconscious most of the time and had only recently remembered the incident at all.

"Yes, that's Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter. She recently appeared on behalf of the USAF to debunk Alec Colson's claims of the existence of aliens. I recognise the… smaller man – they were seen entering Colson Industries' head office together."

"That's Doctor Jackson," Steven pointed out. "He went missing right before the time we're told the Stargate was first used, so I'd wager he has been closely involved in the project from the beginning."

"And I'd wager the technology that was used to discredit Colson's alien was in fact alien technology," Julia added.

"Yeah, the greys are helping the military cover up their presence," Brett chimed in. "Did you know that Alec Colson hasn't been seen since his right-hand-man died, and that the government are providing financial relief to his company? There's definitely something fishy going on, let me tell you."

Julia didn't bother to reply. "Professor Probable, do you have anything else to add?"

"I… hope that we as a planet can put aside our fears and trust that good will come of this, to all people. This is rather frightening news, but I hope the shock will wear off and we can get used to our place as one of many populated planets."

"Thankyou for those words, Professor. Ros, any final thoughts?"

"Just that I hope the government will do the responsible thing, and give us full disclosure along with civilian control of this… Stargate. I'm disappointed that we had to find out this way."

Julia nodded. "We're nearly out of time tonight. In summary, we've just seen shocking proof that fast interplanetary travel is possible and used often by the USAF, in the form of a device called a Stargate, located at Cheyenne Mountain military base, under NORAD. Doctor Rayner has personally confirmed that the Goa'uld exist as has been described to us. What this means practically for Earth is yet to be determined, but we shouldn't immediately assume the worst. There are many skilled people – among them, Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter and Doctor Daniel Jackson – dedicated to protecting our way of life, and we owe much to them. Hopefully we will hear their statement in the next few days. This is Julia Donovan, signing off for tonight's Inside Access."

_In Chicago…_

Sarah Gardener groaned at the mention of Osiris. At least her name hadn't been mentioned, but she knew that anyone who looked in the right place would be able to figure out the truth. Deciding it would be wise to keep out of the spotlight, she began the long process of calling the SGC and waiting for someone to answer.

_At the SGC…_

"I have a feeling this won't end well," Jack quipped as he and several under his command milled around with stunned expression. "I'm heading to my office – the president will be calling me soon." He stepped into the hallway and vanished in a beam of white light. Apparently the president wanted him immediately.

_On a quiet stretch of highway…_

Ivan Sage sat quietly beside a friendly businessman, who he had determined would gladly allow them to share his car. Leah Lincoln dosed in the back seat. Country music played, giving Ivan something to listen to. For a while. At a certain point he turned to the girl behind him and roused her back to wakefulness. "Hey, Leah, listen to this."

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes and blinked several times.

The music abruptly stopped. "We interrupt this song for the following announcement: A few minutes ago, a video clip was aired on the program Inside Access, proving that the USAF possess and regularly use an alien device, known as a Stargate, to travel to many other inhabited planets throughout our galaxy. We expect an official statement from the president to follow. Now we will return you to your song, which I can't remember the name of and Tedd won't tell me. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Well I'll be!" the driver exclaimed, forgetting to ask how Ivan had known to wake the other passenger.

_In a police station you've probably been wondering about since the end of the previous chapter…_

"Hey, come back!" the police officer ordered when his prisoner bolted into the break room in search of the source of the voice. He stepped after her, and the cadet joined them. His attention was quickly drawn to the TV screen and he forgot about the girl.

"This looks like a higher-budget version of Wormhole X-Treme," the cadet commented. He noticed the surprised expression on the girl's face. "What?"

"Um… you watched that show?"

"My cousin likes it," he answered sheepishly.

The group continued watching and making various comments, largely to poke fun at Brett Pearce, the UFO spotter. Some thought this was an exciting way of ending a dull day, while many of them were frightened at the implications.

"Where did you say your mom worked?" the first officer – Cassie finally bothered to read his nametag as Sergeant Trout – asked, having turned his attention back to her.

"Uh, Cheyenne Mountain," Cassie answered reluctantly.

"Doing what?"

"Classified for National Security purposes."

"Have you seen this... Stargate?"

"With all due respect, that has nothing to do with my presence here," Cassie replied, a little annoyed. Technically speaking she wasn't entirely truthful, since she wouldn't even be on the planet if it wasn't for the Stargate.

"Look, the Stargate isn't a secret now, so I'm sure you can tell me how you escaped from your cell."

"That's not for me to decide. I demand you let me call the base and they'll sort everything out."

Sergeant Trout rolled his eyes. "Do you think you'll get a call through after that show? I really doubt there will be any available circuits. No, there's not any point in trying. How about telling me how you escaped from your cell?"

"Sergeant, this is hardly the place…"

"I can interrogate the prisoner wherever I want, Cadet."

"Look, I was kidnapped and drugged. I haven't done anything wrong and don't want to hurt anyone. There's no reason to keep me here."

"Whether you've done something or not, you broke out of your cell. I think you'd better tell me how."

"I can't tell you anything."

"Doesn't she have the right to remain silent?" the cadet pointed out.

"Yes, but until we know how she got out without the camera seeing how she did it, we'll need to post a guard at her cell. I'm thinking it should be you."

"Uh… yes Sir." The cadet reluctantly followed Trout as he led the girl back to her cell.

_Meanwhile…_

Athena smiled as she re-watched a recording of Inside Access and listened to the news chatter on the topic. She expected there would be an official announcement soon, and then she could make her move.

Author's Note:

Okay, that was NOT meant to take three weeks. It certainly didn't need to, but I kept procrastinating. Oh, and I finally got Portal!!

Thanks for your patience, though I certainly wouldn't mind if you were impatient and started pestering me to update :D :D I hope you all enjoyed this and I'd love to hear if you did, or else why you didn't.


	15. State of the Galaxy

Disclaimer: I still don't own Stargate. Apart from a wall mirror.

Chapter 15 – State of the Galaxy

"How did this happen?" President Hayes demanded once his guests – minus the speechwriter – had arrived.

"We believe classified materials were removed from Area 51 earlier today Sir. It was the same pair who wrote and distributed yesterday's article, but we still have no idea how they did it or where they are now, Sir. There is already a team moving in to secure and investigate the TV studio, Sir," Brigadier General O'Neill reported.

Hayes considered this news. "Security measures will require a thorough review, in due course. But since the horse has well and truly bolted, it would be pointless to focus on closing the stable door right now. What are our options?"

"We could deny everything and claim the video was fake. We could claim the 'Stargate Program' is just a cover for something else. We could say that it's not what it looks like – perhaps say it's a short-range transport system and that the alien-related stuff is hype or misinterpretation. We could simply refuse to comment and let the world believe whatever it likes. We could admit that it's true and refuse to discuss any details. Or we could reveal whatever won't compromise ongoing operations," Jack enumerated.

There was a long silence as the men considered the various options. "Flat denial won't convince everyone, and if we say it's a cover, it will only lead to more questions. Continuing to ignore the issue is no good, as this will spin out of control if we don't control it ourselves. Admitting to the truth while keeping quiet on the details won't satisfy anyone. Misdirection worked in the Colson incident, but I can see it working here. Besides, admitting to any sort of transportation technology will lead to close scrutiny. No, we'll need to come clean while we still can without losing face," the president decided.

"It's a pity Doctor Weir is unavailable," Woolsey commented. "Her skills would be very useful at this time."

"Daniel sure picked the wrong time to go missing," Jack added, flippantly masking his worry for his friend and daughter. "That aside, we'd better do something tonight. We don't have to tell all, but no one will sleep unless you tell them that we aren't in any imminent danger."

"Jack's right, we need a general announcement tonight to calm people down as much as we can. A full disclosure can wait until tomorrow," Hammond agreed.

"And what of the other nations who already know about the Stargate?" Woolsey asked, thinking from an IOA perspective.

"Have them follow my lead, if they're awake. If they are agreeable, we could claim that the security leaks were an intentional precursor to the announcements. We don't need the public knowing that the world's biggest secret was exposed by two teenagers."

"No one would believe that story, Sir," Jack countered cynically. "I think it would be best to just gloss over the source of the leaks. Everyone will be too busy worrying about alien invasion to care who leaked it. Now, when's this speechwriter going to turn up?"

"He won't be long, but since he knows nothing about the Stargate, I couldn't exactly have him beamed in," Hayes explained.

"Moving on to the more detailed disclosure," Hammond began, "we need to consider not only what we don't want our off-world enemies to know, but also those on Earth. And I don't only mean the Trust."

"Yeah, there's quite a few people out there who won't react well to our weapon advancements, our new allies, or anything they choose to find fault with. We had enough flak just from our allies."

"Once they understand how important we are to the continued existence and freedom of this planet, they should ease off," Hammond predicted. "In the meantime, we'll downplay the advanced weaponry and focus on the times we've prevailed with our own weapons."

A knock on the door announced the speechwriter's arrival.

_On a highway halfway between the middle of nowhere and someplace else…_

"Hey, could you let us out here?" Ivan asked at a calculated – though seemingly spontaneous – moment.

"Uh… sure," the businessman agreed. "Is everything alright?"

Ivan shrugged. "Nothing ever is," he answered as the car slowed. "Thanks for the lift. We really appreciate it."

"Yeah," Leah seconded as she clambered out of the back.

"Tell Mister Loran we're sorry we had to decline his invitation," Ivan said in an offhand manner, just before closing his door. The driver gave him a strange look before pulling back onto the highway.

"Loran?" Leah questioned.

Ivan shrugged carelessly. "The guy in charge of the roadblock a minute up the road, looking for us. The Air Force have figured we're heading in this direction."

"Oh. Now what?"

Ivan grinned. "While our driver confuses everyone with the story of how I knew the guy's name, we'll sneak right past."

"In what?"

"In the truck that will be appearing around the corner in 4…3…2…1…here he is." He waved for attention and made the appropriate thumb gestures, and the big rig began to slow.

Leah shot her friend a wry grin. "Good to see you have it all planned out."

"Yeah, but now we need to figure out what to do next." He shrugged and they began to board their new ride.

_Back at the station…_

"So… I'm Kyle," the police cadet said shyly after returning Cassie to her cell and checking the lock.

"Why are you here? In general, I mean," Cassie questioned.

"Training, experience. Trout makes me do all the grunt work, when he can."

"So he's sent you to guard me rather than wasting useful manpower," the girl guessed.

"Something like that."

"Not very smart, guarding an escapee with an unarmed guy," she suggested.

Kyle shrugged. "I've got a knife, and a radio."

Cassie knew the radio wouldn't do him much good, and she'd learned enough from her SG-1 family to avoid the knife, but she wasn't about to tell him that. Escaping from the cell would be of little value if she couldn't escape the building. "Why is he holding me here? If he simply called my mom or her CO - Brigadier General Jack O'Neill - it would be obvious that I'm on the run from kidnappers."

Kyle shrugged. "He thinks you're unimportant."

"So he'll get around to me tomorrow?"

"Depends on the fallout from that crazy alien stuff. I figure people will panic and keep the police quite busy. But you don't seem worried, which proves you already knew it all."

"It doesn't prove anything. Ignorance is bliss," Cassie countered.

"Honesty is the best policy," Kyle answered disapprovingly.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket," Cassie deflected, drifting past the point of the conversation.

"Crime never pays."

"Never run with scissors." The girl had heard Jack use that phrase several times, and it seemed appropriately inappropriate.

Kyle stared at her. "What?"

"Look, some people kidnapped me. I escaped. They will try to recapture me. If I stay here, they'll find me soon enough, and it won't be easy to avoid capture if I'm locked up in here. You don't really want to be in the way then they get here," Cassie warned.

"I really doubt anyone will be able to get past…"

"Kyle, they're highly motivated and powerful people. You don't know what you're dealing with."

"And you do?"

Cassie groaned. This guy was slow on the uptake. "Hello? They already kidnapped me once."

"Yeah, well they can't be that powerful if you got away."

"I got away from two guys who were transporting me, and I nearly didn't. They'll send more and better armed people to extract me from here."

Kyle sighed. "Okay, I'll help you get out, if you'll explain how you escaped from your cell."

"I can't tell you that."

"Then explain why the kidnappers are after you."

"I have friends in high places who would pay a lot to keep me safe." It wasn't exactly a lie.

It wasn't believable either. "Sorry, I'm not buying it. You could start by telling me your name."

"Oh, sorry, I'm Cassandra Frasier. I'm studying to be a doctor like my mom." There was no harm in telling that, and giving out inconsequential personal information might soften him up a little.

"Your mom's name?"

"Doctor Janet Frasier, Air Force Major. She's the base CMO."

"And that's at Cheyenne Mountain, where the Stargate is?"

"She works at the Cheyenne Mountain base, yes."

"Cassandra, the Stargate isn't a secret anymore. I'm sure it's okay to talk about it."

She knew better than to breach security. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And I don't think I can let you go."

Kyle's radio crackled. "Cadet, you can bring the prisoner up now." Kyle shrugged and unlocked the cell.

_Meanwhile, on another planet…_

"How much longer?" Daniel asked yet again.

"Oh, a few hours. Maybe four," Vala estimated.

"Assuming my modifications hold," Cynthia added tentatively.

"Do you mean the original modifications, or the modifications to the modifications?" the pirate wondered.

The blonde girl just shrugged. "I could make that one hour."

Vala looked surprised. "Really?"

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Daniel demanded.

"I didn't know if it would work. Even so, there's a slight chance of it going wrong."

"How slight?" Vala queried.

"There's a fifteen percent we'll be killed by poisonous gasses, a forty-seven percent chance the engine will simply detonate and melt the ship, and a sixty-two percent chance we'll end up almost in orbit and then take an uncontrollable nose-dive into the ground," Cynthia stated lightly.

Vala was not convinced this was a wise plan. "Oh. Is there any chance you could improve me those odds?"

"If you give me a day or two to work on it, sure."

"Let's keep things how they are," Daniel suggested. "Why did you even bother telling us about this?"

"Bored," Cynthia replied simply.

"Well you won't be bored once we arrive. There's shopping to be done."

"Shopping?" Daniel wore a dubious expression.

"Yes, the conditions on this side of the planet are somewhat less pleasant. You'll need jackets and boots. And you'd need new outfits anyway, to blend in, so no one gets too eager about shooting you."

"Uh, shooting?" Daniel's dubiousness doubled.

"Yes, well, some of the dealers can get rather competitive."

Daniel was not happy with this. "Can't we find a more peaceful planet?"

"No, this is the best place to have my ship repaired. And I have friends here."

"Of course you would."

"I'll find us a nice place to stay while the repairs – and upgrades of course – are made. Then we can start shopping for a new base. I've always wanted to grab a nice bit of territory of the larger moon of Bryx."

"Bricks?" Cynthia questioned.

"Yes, it's a lovely place. It even has sandy beaches. The light cycle and weather are a little unpredictable due to planetary shading, but we'll adjust."

Daniel groaned and turned his mind back to escaping.

_Back at the police station…_

"You're very lucky, Miss Frasier. With communications tied up, who knows how long you might have been here? Fortunately Mister Murray and Doctor Jackson were looking for you, so they are here to secure your release," Trout recited flatly.

Cassandra turned to see two strangers waiting to take her away with them. Obviously she'd been wrong about the kidnappers' tactics. There was only one thing to do: run. The station's lights immediately winked out, plunging the building into darkness. Okay, two things to do. Cassie could not see any better than anyone else in the total blackness, but with care and concentration she could sense the metal in the walls and avoid running into them.

She detected a new electrical flow behind her just as a torch clicked on. Her mind lashed out and the bulb shattered. Enough light spilled out for her flight to be detected. Confused shouts and blows were heard, followed by zat blasts and gunshots. None were in her direction – yet. She heard loud footsteps following her as she sought a back exit. Heading out the front would be stupid as it was certainly covered by her abductors. The back seemed to be a good plan, apart from the glowing exit sign.

Cassandra felt and heard a bolt of energy shoot towards her from behind, and was able to redirect it to barely pass over her shoulder and conveniently extinguish the telltale light. A second shot spiralled towards her last known position, but instead impacted the door. The attacker continued barrelling down the dark hall, only to trip on the girl who had strategically crouched in his way. His head slammed into the door and he knew no more.

_Elsewhere…_

"Thanks for hiding us, Brad," Ivan told the truck driver.

"Hey, you're welcome. You're just lucky they didn't bother to search the whole cab."

"Lucky, that's us," Ivan joked, knowing better. "That guy in the car seemed to be causing a lot of confusion."

"Yeah, what was he going on about? Something about kids knowing the name of the guy in charge of the checkpoint. That would be you kids, right?"

"Yeah," Ivan admitted. He was feeling rather wiped out and didn't care much about anything.

"So, why are they after you?"

Fortunately an answer was not required. The radio interrupted with an important message. "We interrupt this broadcast to present a special message from the president of the United States, Henry Hayes.

The trucker quickly increased the volume.

"People of the United States of America, tonight I must address an important matter, knowing no one will sleep soundly until this is settled.

I expect you have all read or heard the claims. It has been claimed that the United States Air Force has been using a device called a Stargate to rapidly travel to other planets throughout this galaxy. It has also been suggested that many of these planets are inhabited by the descendants of humans who were kidnapped from Earth in past ages. The stories suggest that the kidnappers are a race of parasitic creatures which control human hosts and use advanced technology to subjugate their human slaves by posing as 'gods'. Some video footage was shown earlier this evening, appearing to prove the existence and functionality of the Stargate.

As a result, I am sure there is an abundance of questions. Does the Stargate really allow us to step from Earth to other habitable planets? Is the galaxy actually populated by humans whose ancestors were abducted from Earth? Is there a race of parasitic aliens who pose as gods? Do they have ships capable of travelling faster than light, and other advanced technology? Do they use pyramids as landing pads? Have they tried to destroy or subjugate Earth multiple times? Have we thwarted them every time? Have we gained new friends and allies? Have we shown them that Earth should not be messed with?

Citizens of this nation, this planet, and this galaxy, I give you the answer: yes!"

There was a pause as President Hayes let his listeners absorb the blow. Then he continued. "This news must be a shock to many. It may seem like the world has changed. However, it has not – we have simply discovered a lost part of our past. We are still the same people, with the same needs, the same cares, and the same responsibilities. There is no reason to panic – Earth is in good hands. Disclosure of further details can wait until tomorrow. For now, I urge all citizens not to let this news affect their lives – there is no cause for alarm.

I thank you all for taking the time to listen to this message. Until tomorrow, goodnight America."

The trucker gave a low whistle. "Well, doesn't that beat all?"

"That was a pretty good speech," Ivan quietly observed, rubbing his aching forehead. His efforts in escaping from their various pursuers had taken their toll.

"You don't seem very surprised," Brad mentioned.

"No, we're the ones responsible for leaking the info to the press," Ivan admitted.

"That explains the roadblock," replied Brad with a grin. "It takes a lot of guts to spill something like this, knowing the government won't be very happy with you."

"We decided it was the right thing to do. People deserve to know the truth," Leah explained, seeing that Ivan didn't feel like talking much.

"You're right, they do. It's a pretty crazy truth though. I don't know which is weirder: the alien parasite things, or the fact that there's a whole lot of humans from Earth out there."

"Me neither," Leah agreed. "But it is comforting in a way to know that there are people similar to us, somewhere amongst the stars."

"To some people. I don't think everyone will see it that way. I expect there will be no shortage of people who find something to panic about."

"I'm afraid you're right."

_At the Alpha Site…_

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter sat at a console, overseeing the cleanup of Bastet's remaining army, ensuring the freedom of the worlds 'she' had ruled. The plan was to leave a few Replicator defenses in place, in case another Goa'uld decided to attack. So far, the plan was proceeding well, and many Jaffa had turned to freedom.

There was a beep and General O'Neill appeared on the screen. "Sir, how's life on Earth?" she asked, a little anxiously.

"Interesting," Jack hedged.

"It's that bad?"

"Possibly. Your friend Julia Donovan aired a video clip lifted from Area 51."

"What?"

"Janet's kid somehow sneaked past security. The people responsible are in a world of trouble."

"I can imagine." There was an uncomfortable silence. "What was shown?"

"You, Daniel, and Teal'c returning through the 'gate from off-world."

Sam didn't reply verbally, but Jack could see her jaw hanging open.

"You and Daniel were both named."

Sam whispered a curse.

"The President gave a quick speech confirming the main facts and trying to reassure everyone to prevent a panic. Further disclosure will be made tomorrow."

Sam finally found her voice. "Wow."

"For now, we're continuing operations as normal. The Alpha Site and Snakeskinner are definitely staying highly classified. We don't want to lose our advantage."

"That's good. Any news on Cynthia or Daniel?"

"None yet. Poor Danny is missing out on all the fun. If he was here, he'd be scrambling to get papers ready to publish."

"Publish! Thanks for reminding me, Jack. I have a file of papers with instructions on who to send them to, if the Stargate Program is ever declassified. If I get held up here…"

"I'll make sure they are sent out if they are approved," Jack promised. "Instructions, you say?"

"In case… you know."

"Yeah, I know. I expect Daniel's done the same thing. Don't worry, we'll get him back."

"I know you will."

"How goes your mission?"

"No major problems. The Replicators are performing as intended."

"Great. Listen, there's someone here who'd like to talk to you." Jack's face was replaced by that of Doctor Frasier.

"Janet?"

"Hi, Sam." The doctor's distress was evident.

"Janet, what's wrong?"

"It's Cassie. She's been… kidnapped."

Sam gasped as the knife of terror twisted in her heart.

AN: Sorry, that was still slower than it should have been. Next chapter will be faster.

Dun dun dun, the secret is out! Will Ivan and Leah continue to elude capture? Will the Replicators continue to be effective against the Goa'uld? Will Janet cope with all the bad things happening to her family? Will Daniel and Cynthia escape from the annoying clutches of Vala? Will Jack still be a good leader? Will Cassie's gift get her out of trouble or into it? Will Athena put her plans into action? Will I be given cake? Will I stop asking questions that only I know the answers to?


	16. Perception

Warning: whumping. Also, Vala talks, as she is prone to do.

Chapter 16 - Perception

Cassandra fled from the police station, feeling drained. Her efforts in blacking out the lights and deflecting the zat blast had sapped most of the little strength she had regained. She needed power, and was therefore unthinkingly drawn towards it as she ran. As she drew near to her target – an electrical substation – a car shot past and pulled up at the roadside. She instinctively knew it was her pursuers, but continued to move toward the source of electrical energy.

As the car doors opened to allow the kidnappers to spill into the street, Cassie collapsed to her knees, unable to continue forward. She tried to calm herself and reach out to the powerlines high above, but it was too much effort. She needed some energy to collect more energy. With his quarry apparently helpless, the closest Trust operative fired a zat blast directly at her. The electrical bolt struck her chest and danced around her body. And around. And around.

The men – and woman – stared as the blue lines of energy circled around the girl. The crackling energy field grew larger and stronger as more electricity was sucked down from the overhead wires. Cassie slowly stood, her feet apart and her arms outstretched. Her attackers edged away nervously. When the energy cloud grew brighter and the crackling louder, they bolted down the street, not even trying to get back into their vehicle.

Cassie threw her hands forward, unleashing the build-up of energy. This turned out to be an unwise course of action so close to the substation. The city was plunged into darkness, apart from the resulting explosion. Debris flew in most directions.

Now safe from her attackers, but sporting several new injuries, Cassandra sank to the ground. Across the street, an awed police cadet stared and the destruction and the unconscious survivor.

_Elsewhere…_

Athena was very pleased indeed at the evening's events. The Inside Access interview was a complete success, ignoring the surprise ending. Roslyn Weeks had no idea how important her role had been. Taking the surprise revelation into account, it was simply fabulous. The president's speech signaled that it was time to begin the next stage of her operation.

On the other hand, Ivan Sage and Leah Lincoln were still loose. While their efforts in exposing Stargate Command had been beneficial, they were loose cannons, to borrow a Tau'ri expression. She shouldn't need to worry about secrecy for much longer, but she still didn't want them getting in the way. Their unexpected ability to avoid capture was interesting and required further study.

Lastly, there was her effort to capture a possible powerful enemy: the hok'taur Cassandra. Athena would feel much safer with the girl under control, and her ability would be useful if it could be reproduced. She should be hearing a report any time now. Sure enough, she received a (secure) call from one of her agents. However, it was not one she expected to hear from.

"My lady, there was a massive explosion shortly after the extraction team was deployed to the police station."

"The police station exploded?"

"No, my lady. It was a nearby electrical substation. I can't raise any of the agents involved, and reports say that the city has lost power."

"If she's survived, she'll have been taken to the nearest hospital. Otherwise, the morgue. Either way, I want her brought in, understand? And no activity will be traced to me."

"Of course, my lady."

Well, that was bad news. But Athena couldn't help feeling impressed at the hok'taur's evident power.

_The next morning…_

Ivan Sage awoke slowly, trying to figure out where he was. He remembered hours of disturbing nightmares and shifting futures, followed somehow by peaceful sleep. How he'd achieved that was a mystery. The first question was answered when he looked around and found he was lying in a field of grass – thankfully clean and dry grass. Noticing that Leah had wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders answered the second question.

"Thanks," he said when she opened her eyes.

"You were having nightmares," she explained.

"Yeah. I think you stopped them."

"Good. Um, do you know where we might find something to eat?"

Ivan considered the matter. "I know several places where we won't, so we'll go in some other direction."

Leah smiled. "That's good enough for me."

_On P4Z504…_

"We're finally here," Vala announced cheerily.

"We are? What time is it?"

Vala shrugged. "Since we've just travelled from the other side of the planet, I have no idea. Just a moment." She held a brief radio conversation with someone in the town. "I've organised a landing place where we won't be shot down or attacked on sight. And it's midafternoon here. But I'm ready for sleep as soon as I've booked the ship repairs and found you some suitable clothes."

Cynthia and Daniel readily agreed. A few minutes later, the ship passed low over some buildings. Cynthia powered down the engine and Vala succeeded in landing in the designated area without causing any further damage. After a long discussion with the head mechanic, Vala handed over an ingot of naquadah and received a handful of coins as change.

"I had to pay a little extra for their silence," Vala complained as the trio trekked towards a seller of clothing. Daniel shivered in the chilling wind, and Cynthia looked disapprovingly at the mud oozing over her shoes.

"Silence?" Daniel wondered.

"In case your people guess we're still on the planet and ask if you've been seen."

"Oh." Daniel was rather disappointed that she'd thought of that. He'd been hoping for a rescue, and this move reduced the odds. "Are you sure leaving your create of naquadah was a good idea?"

"Oh, I told them I placed a detonator inside so if they open the box or move it to far, no one in the city will be around to complain."

Daniel blinked. "Did you really?"

"I'm not telling."

"Right…"

"Cheer up, I'm about to buy you a gorgeous leather jacket, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Daniel snarked.

Cynthia rolled her eyes and concentrated on avoiding the mud.

_Elsewhere…_

It was dark, soft, and constricted. She slowly let her consciousness rise, and felt that she was lying on a bed. Lying strapped to a bed. She couldn't move her arms or legs. She could feel them though, along with the scratches on her knees, the small gashes on her face, and numerous other small injuries. Besides those painful annoyances, there was very little distraction. Not only was the room pitch black, but it was also completely silent. While the lack of background noise was unusual, it was also convenient. Cassie easily let herself relax into a state in which she was very aware of the surrounding electromagnetic phenomena.

Beneath her, she could sense the metal frame of the hospital bed. A needle penetrated her arm, and she could sense the accompanying frame from which an IV bag hung. There was no electronic devices in the vicinity, which she correctly guessed was her own fault. Someone wearing glasses stood beside her, and a little further away, two people stood wearing belts and side-arms. Guards, perhaps.

Wondering why no one had spoken, she called, "Hello?" This effort seemed to fail. Her mouth moved, but no sound resulted. "Hey, can someone turn a light on? Again, no sound. The glasses moved closer, and a ring on a finger warned that she was about to be touched on the face. She pulled away slightly, but the hand on her forehead seemed nonthreatening.

"Talking to me might be good," she tried to suggest. Again, she heard to sound, and no reply.

_On the other side of the communication barrier..._

Two hospital security officers stood guard in the doorway of the isolation ward. A nurse watched as the patient finally awoke properly. The last few times she had become slightly conscious, she had thrashed wildly and caused anomalous damage to nearby electrical equipment. This had lead to her being strapped down for her own safety, and isolated for the safety of the hospital's expensive devices. Because the girl was both a suspect for the substation explosion – as evidenced by the electrical anomalies – and the victim of kidnapping, the guards had been placed to keep her in and anyone else out.

Now the girl had awoken, and twisted slightly, testing her bonds. Her eyes darted around the room as if searching for something. They did not stop on any particular object, and the pupils were larger than they should have been. "Hlo?" a feeble voice slurred.

"You're awake," the nurse replied. "How do you feel?"

"Heycan ennehwun trna liiiightunn?" the small voice uttered, the words not coming out quite right.

"The light is on. Can you hear me?" the concerned nurse asked. There was no response, and she slowly moved her hand towards the girl's face. They eyes did not follow her hand but she seemed to know when it was about to touch her face.

"Tooorgin tooma might begud."

"She's deaf and blind," the nurse realised. She quickly asked the guards to allow her past and went to find a doctor. "Doctor Ladd, the Jane Doe from the explosion is awake."

"How is she?"

"She seems calm, but… I believe she's both deaf and blind."

"How awful!"

The nurse nodded. "I can't determine the extend without proper equipment though."

"I understand. Try shining a light in her eyes and look for dilation – if the light survives. After that, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"I won't be long, Doctor." She quickly returned to her patient.

"Nurse Pyn, she's been growing agitated," one of the guards reported as they allowed her in.

The nurse nodded and placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. She stopped struggling, but continued to say what sounded like, "Help," and, "Let me out of here." The nurse shone the light in her patient's face, but the only response was an expression of confusion which turned to panic.

Cassandra had sensed the return of the glasses and the ring. They matched what she had felt before, indicating it was the same person. There was also a new metal object – a small penlight. She stopped struggling when a hand was placed on her shoulder, but continued to call for help. The light activated – she could 'hear' the current flowing – but she could still see nothing. At first she didn't understand, but then she realised there must be something wrong with her eyes. She closed them for a few seconds and opened them again, but nothing changed. "No…I'm blind. Blind." Again, she heard nothing. If her eyes were not functioning, then perhaps… "And deaf. Wonderful." Then she proceeded to cry.

The nurse was struck by a wave of sympathy, but also confusion. The girl seemed to know a light had been shone in her eyes, even though she couldn't see it. A possible explanation occurred to her, but surely it couldn't be possible? Or could it? If the girl could somehow cause electrical disturbances, maybe she could also detect them? It was no more strange than the president's speech last night. Actually, if she didn't have a vital job to do, she would probably be freaking out. Though the way this was going, she might end up doing that anyway.

Her task completed, Nurse Pyn turned to leave and see Doctor Ladd again. She was stopped by the quiet question, "Werah you goinn?" Unsure of how to respond, she hesitated before placing the penlight in the girl's right hand. "Phankyer," her patient responded, showing the ghost of a smile.

Cassie wasn't sure what the point of holding the light was but it seemed to be an attempt to comfort her. She appreciated the gesture. It meant there was a higher chance she was a patient in a real hospital rather than a captive in someone's lab. It didn't entirely rule out the second option, however.

_Meanwhile, on P4Z504…_

Vala nodded her approval. "You'll blend in much better in that outfit."

"It's much warmer too," Daniel replied positively.

"Yes, just looking at it makes _me_ warmer." She winked, causing Daniel to have a sneezing fit. "Surprisingly, Cynthia should blend in too." The pirate nodded at the girl's black leather jacket, which covered her knees – meaning it was longer than her skirt. The space between the jacket and the chunky black boots was filled by her pink and white leggings, which matched her scarf which spilled out of the neck of the jacket.

Daniel seemed doubtful. "You're sure?"

"No one will notice her. Especially not if she stays near me and keeps her jacket fully buttoned. Maybe not even if she didn't."

Cynthia was quick to retaliate. "Oh really? I don't think anyone would notice you if you hung around me with your jacket fully buttoned – not that it ever has been."

"Hello? What happened to not drawing attention to ourselves?" Daniel interrupted, using his best 'what in the world are you thinking?' voice.

Vala didn't seem to take much notice. "Yes, well she just implied that males only pay attention to be because of the way I dress."

"But… that's what she said!" Cynthia countered.

"Enough! We're all tired and frustrated from being stuck on a ship for so long."

"_I'm_ certainly frustrated," Vala agreed. "And I only have enough coins for two rooms. Shall we let the little girl have her own room?"

Cynthia protested, "Hey, don't call me…"

"She's my responsibility, so she stays with me," Daniel quickly stated. He knew that either of them spending more time in Vala's company would likely result in violence and general unpleasantness.

"Fine. But I should warn you not to try sneaking off on your own. You might not live to regret it. And the door will be guarded. And the windows are barred. Securely. I'll let you out in the morning so we can eat before it's time to leave."

"Leave? How long will it take to repair the ship?" Cynthia wondered.

Vala grinned. "I decided to save time and trade it in for one in better condition. The upgrades will be ready in the morning, at which time I'll be handing over another block of that lovely weapons-grade naquadah."

"Ah, yes, that reason-you-decided-to-steal-my-ship naquadah," Daniel complained.

"Hey, I didn't kill anyone," Vala pouted.

"Let's keep it that way and stop arguing," Cynthia suggested. Her companions silently agreed.

_On Earth…_

"This was one of your better ideas," Leah shouted to her cycling companion. Ivan had won a pair of bikes in one of his crazy bets. Now they could travel from town to town without leaving any travel records. It was fun and healthy too. The downside was the great views – Leah didn't have a camera to photograph anything. Talking while travelling wasn't easy either, but there would be time for talk during meals.

"Time for a quick side trip," Ivan called back. "There's a cop car a minute ahead."

Leah shook her head at the strangeness of the whole situation. It certainly wasn't what she expected when she went out walking not so many nights ago, but wherever she ended up – she trusted Ivan it wouldn't be prison – she knew she would enjoy the journey.

AN: Yes, it's shorter than the previous chapter. But it's also far sooner than the previous chapters. Hope you enjoyed it.


	17. Tact

Chapter 17 - Tact

"Agent Barrett, could you please explain to me why they haven't been found?" Jack demanded.

On the other end of the line, Malcolm sighed and replied, "They appear to be very evasive. It seems that they have advance warning of where our roadblocks are and who is involved. We seem to have underestimated them."

"They broke into Area 51 for crying out loud! And they had detailed knowledge of the SGC. If you want to find them, trace the leaks. I'd think Maybourne was involved if he wasn't safely of-world."

"Excellent suggestion, General. We'll find them yet."

"You'd better." Jack put down the phone and stalked out of his office, nearly running into a tall woman. "Oh, hello."

"Good morning. You must be General O'Neill," she greeted with a friendly smile.

"I must, must I?" he joked. Then he realised why she seemed familiar. "Oh, you're Sarah Gardner, Daniel's friend. We met briefly when you were... rescued. You're here to hide from the press, right? I think there was a memo about that."

"Yes, that's right. I was wondering if you could tell me where Daniel is."

Jack shook his head. "I'd pay a lot of money if anyone could tell _me_ where he is."

"He's missing?" Sarah asked anxiously.

"He can't be missing me too much or he'd have found his way back by now. No, he's not so much missing as kidnapped by a space pirate. Incidentally, _she_ happens to be missing."

Sarah looked puzzled. "Does this happen often?"

"Yes, Daniel is very skilled at getting himself lost or assumed dead. Or actually dead."

"Yes, I remember that he was ascended for a time. While I was..."

Jack nodded his understanding. "Do you know how long you're staying?"

"Just a few weeks, until the media frenzy dies down. I'll need to face the world some time."

"Well, what's the worst they could ask you?"

"How I felt when I discovered Daniel's theories were right."

"Ouch! That sure doesn't have a pleasant answer." Jack had realised precisely when she would have come to this realisation – upon 'meeting' Osiris.

"You don't know the half of it."

"No, half sounds about right." Jack decided it was only fair he shared his own experiences. "Hathor tried snaking me but a Tok'ra operative froze the pesky thing before it could blend. Then I froze Hathor for good measure. She deserved it. Tried turning me into a Jaffa too, but that's nothing to what she did to Danny."

"Oh?"

"You really don't want to know."

"I suppose not. So, you didn't actually blend?"

"Nope. I also had a Tok'ra passenger for a while, but he didn't blend either. He did try rescuing his girlfriend from Ba'al though. Got caught and abandoned me. Not pleasant." It was hard for Jack to admit even that much, but he hoped it would help his visitor to know she wasn't alone in her experience.

"I can imagine. But what possessed you to take a Tok'ra, pardon the pun?"

"Sam - Lieutenant Colonel Carter, that is - talked me into it after I caught the plague which killed off a lot of the Ancients."

"Wow, your luck is as bad as Daniel's," Sarah marvelled.

"I assure you, it's not. I'm still here. Though incidentally, the president wants me in DC in a few minutes."

That didn't make sense at first. "A few minutes?"

"Ya gotta love those Asgard transporters. Did you hear about the time a shady bunch of characters figured out how to activate the transporter on your - I mean Osiris's - ship? They actually got as far as stealing our stargate!"

"Oh dear! I'm sorry about that."

"Not your fault. We should have asked for your help rather than leaving it to the geeks at Area 51. Now, I'd better grab myself a coffee before the president steals me away. They don't make it at the White House like they do here."

"Don't generals have people to do that for them?" Sarah asked, following Jack down the grey hall.

"Yes, but that would take twice as long, because they need to walk back. It would be cold by then, or, knowing my luck, I'd be..." Unfortunately, he was anyway. "... whisked away. What, does this thing run on the power of irony?"

"Glad you could make it, Jack," Hayes greeted with an amused grin.

"To what do I owe the honour, Sir?"

"I have a job for which you are uniquely qualified. As leader of the first off-world expedition and of SG-1, and present commander of the SGC, I'm sure you have many stories to tell."

"Sir?"

"The world needs to know what we've been up against, and that we've prevailed. You understand that better than anyone. I don't want my citizens afraid for their lives, but I don't want them to brush off the threat either."

"I understand, Sir. What about my team? I mean, SG-1? They should be involved too." Jack's thoughts drifted to the absent Doctor Jackson, and then to his amazing daughter.

"I'm afraid their present orders are vital, which is a great pity, as I admit their presence would be fitting. But I'm sure they'll have an opportunity later. Doctor Jackson will of course be welcome to contribute as soon as he finds his way back to Earth," Hayes said with confidence.

"I'm sure he will be," Jack agreed. "But in the meantime… let's get this show on the road, Sir."

Henry Hayes handed Jack a folder. "Here's a briefing on what you can and can't talk about. Most importantly, time travel and alternate realities are out, as are any details of our security and defence arrangements and current missions and projects."

"Understood, Sir. How long do I have?"

"An hour. Keep it casual, but watch your language. And that doesn't mean you can swear in Goa'uld."

"Understood Sir," Jack answered with a grin. Hoping he'd live up to the Commander-in-Chief's expectations, he found a chair and began thumbing through the folder.

_At the hospital..._

"Helen, this is Police Cadet Kyle Hewitt. Cadet, this is Nurse Helen Pyn," introduced Doctor Ladd.

"Hello," the nurse said pleasantly.

"Hi," the nervous cadet replied. "Call me Kyle."

"Kyle says he has information regarding a girl who matches your patient."

"Yeah, she said her name's Cassandra Frasier. We had her at the station for trespassing and smashing someone's porch lights. She escaped from her cell without it showing up on the security cameras. Then when some 'friends' came to pick her up, the lights died and she split. They guys who came to get her tried to catch her and she headed for the power substation. When they caught up to her, she..."

"Yes?" nurse Pyn prompted.

"I only saw it from a distance, but..." Kyle was struggling to continue. "It looked like she pulled electricity out of the wires. There was a weird glowing cloud surrounding her. Then it flew towards the men, and the substation, and..."

"And that's why patients are being transferred to this and several other hospitals in the region. You're saying that one girl knocked out the power of an entire town with a 'glowing cloud'? Isn't that a bit... crazy?"

"I don't think she's what she looks like. She told me her mother is the CMO of the Cheyenne Mountain base."

The nurse's eyes widened in realisation. "The Star Ring?"

"Gate. Stargate. I'm sure she knew about it before last night, but she refused to discuss it. She's hiding something."

"Perhaps she's an alien, or an experiment," the nurse suggested.

"Or an alien experiment," Kyle added.

"After all the spontaneous equipment failure going on around her, I'm inclined to believe your story."

"Equipment failure?"

"We moved her to an isolated ward with nothing electrical. Stuff kept overloading around her, and we haven't been able to determine a cause. They palmed her off on me because she doesn't really need any treatment. You'd better identify her, just to be certain she's the same person. We don't need two girls zapping things." When Kyle nodded in agreement, she began to lead him to the ward. "You'll want to leave your radio behind," she remembered to warn.

"Yep, definitely her," the police cadet confirmed once he had been taken to the patient. "She's a little scraped up, but she already had most of that last night. Claimed she was on the run from kidnappers."

"More likely on the run from those Air Force alien-hunter people. Maybe she's a... one of those parasites they mentioned in the papers."

"Goa'uld?"

"Yes, that. She might be on the run from the Goa'uld Busters."

"Maybe." Kyle shrugged and looked at the girl who was still playing with the penlight. "Can't she hear us?"

Helen shook her head. "She's deaf and blind, due to damage from the explosion." Regardless of the patient's humanity, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl.

"We can't communicate with her at all?"

"I don't think so. She's spoken a little - though she's still woozy from the sedatives - and she has some awareness of electrical things. She knows when the light is switched on although she can't see it."

"And she's not zapping it like everything else?" Kyle wondered.

"No, now that she's cogent, she's stopped that. Before, she was completely out of control."

Cassie finally grew tired of waiting. "Uh... hello?" she called, sounding far more awake than before. "You've no doubt noticed I'm blind and deaf. That makes it difficult to interrogate me, so I'll ask some questions. Could you tap my arm once for yes and twice for no? And three times if you don't know or don't understand the question."

Kyle figured he had nothing to lose, so he tapped once.

"Great. Uh... now I need to think of some questions. Um... have I been here for more than a day?" She felt two taps. "Good. Assuming you're not lying. Do you know who I am?" One tap. "Great. Just to check, I'm Cassandra Frasier, right?" One tap. "Have you told my mom where I am?" Two taps. "Do you know who she is?" One tap. "Do you work for the Trust or the NID?" Three taps. "Do you know what they are?" Two taps. "I almost asked that as a negative but then I realised it would be ambiguous. Um... is this a hospital?" One tap. "Did Kyle tell you who I am?" She waited several second before feeling five taps. "Five? What does... oh, is that you Kyle?" One tap. "Uh, hi. Is Trout around?" Thankfully, two taps. "Well that's a relief. Do you know what happened to the men who were chasing me?"

"Do we?" Kyle asked Helen.

"Dead. Completely fried," she confirmed.

Kyle tapped once. "Are they dead?" One tap. "Good. I guess. I mean, I'm not glad they're dead, but I'm relieved they can't hurt me now. They were impostors. Remember the men on TV last night? The ones who came through the Stargate?" One tap. "Doctor Jackson is the one with the glasses, and the big guy with the gold tattoo is Murray. The woman is Sam - she's my mom's best friend. They're all kinda my family, really. And Jack too - that's General O'Neill, the base commander. Um... do you suppose you could unstrap me from this bed?" A pause, and then two taps. "Hey, I'm a sitting duck here. They'll track me down soon enough, and... well I'm not in a good position to defend myself. Could you at least call my mom or General O'Neill?"

"I guess that proves she's not on the run from the Air Force," Kyle figured.

"Unless she's trying to fool us," Helen suggested.

"I suppose you're worried about... um, did you see what happened to put me in hospital?" Cassie asked. Kyle responded with a single tap. "Yeah, I can see why you'd be reluctant to let me free. Did I caused a lot of damage?" A lone tap. Cassie sighed. "I should have been more careful. I only wanted to knock those guys out, but I've never done anything quite like that before, and it went a bit too far." She sounded rather upset about that – that is, more upset than she already was. "I guess you're wondering how I can do this. Uh... you know about the Goa'uld, right?" Kyle tapped in agreement. "One of them experimented on me – and everyone in the town I used to live in. I'm the only one still alive." Her voice faltered towards the end of that statement.

Kyle squeezed Cassie's hand, hoping she would take that as a signal to stop. He stepped away from her, which seemed to help her to understand. "I'll be back in a minute – I'm going to try something, and I need my radio."

Helen took the cadet's place beside Cassie. The patient sensed her approach and said, "You again. Nurse?" Helen tapped her patient's arm once in response. "I guess you're wondering if I'm in any pain. Apart from the various scrapes, I'm a bit sore from being thrown around, but nothing major. Nothing feels wrong. Apart from the lack of hearing and vision. Did I mention that I can't move my arms or legs? Not that that's my fault."

Fortunately, Kyle returned before Helen had to deal with the annoyed patient any further. He walked over to Cassie and placed the radio in her hand. "Your radio? What do I..." He took it back. "Oh, I think I get it."

Kyle turned the device on and found an unused channel. He pressed the talk button. "Hello? This is Kyle transmitting. Cassandra, can you, uh, hear this? This is Kyle calling Cassandra." He repeated a couple of times to give her a good chance of figuring out how to understand the signal, if it was possible.

"It's working, but call me Cassie," she finally replied. "Clever idea. It's great to finally hear someone speaking. Kinda."

"Yeah, I'll, uh, let Nurse Pyn do her nurse stuff with you, and then I'll, um, question you. Okay?"

"I suppose so, though I don't really have a choice. You really should get my mom though – no one else is really qualified or cleared to understand my... condition."

Helen took the radio. "Hello Cassandra, I'm Helen Pyn, your nurse. We're not contacting anyone until we're sure that you're... human."

"Huh?"

"I'm still worried you might be a Gooa..."

"Just pronounce it 'goold' – it's easier. I suppose you could do a full MRI – and I promise not to damage anything if you do – but an ultrasound should be good enough for checking whether there's anything wrapped around my spinal cord," Cassie suggested, a taste of derision – for the nurse – and disgust – for the Goa'uld – creeping into her voice.

"Um... that's what they do, is it?" Helen was feeling somewhat unsettled herself.

"Yes, but they wouldn't readily admit to it. You're not really the right person for this. Sending me back to the Air Force won't do you any harm, right? And I'll have far better security, so we all win that way."

"I'll take an ultrasound, and then we'll see about calling. The Air Force are probably busy dealing with the reactions to their little secret being exposed, so I'm sure they can wait a little longer."

"No, my mom will be going crazy with worry," Cassie retorted.

"Supposing she's really your mother," Helen replied unwisely.

Cassie lost her temper and shouted something unrepeatable, and the nurse found herself unable to reply, as the radio was no longer functional.

_At the White House..._

"Five more minutes, General," the president informed.

"Until we go live, Sir?"

"Makeup first," Hayes corrected.

"Oh. Great. So... what's the world's reaction so far?" It was a valid question, as well as a good distraction to take his mind off makeup. That stuff made him want to sneeze like Daniel when it was first put on. Daniel... Cynthia... He struggled to pay attention to what the president was saying.

"...are worried about what we'll do with weapons technology we've gained. Closer to home, there's been vocal complaints about the cover-up in general, some outcry against messing with such dangerous things, and demands to allow civilian control of the gate. And of course all the UFO nuts with their claims, and plenty of people claiming the whole thing is a hoax. Nothing particularly violent or troubling yet."

"Let's hope it stays that way, Sir."

"Let's make sure it stays that way. If you keep it blunt, easygoing, and..."

"Tactless?"

"For lack of a better word, yes. If you do that, people will see that you're not hiding anything from them, and they'll react much better than to a tightly controlled speech."

"I understand, Sir. I'll do my tactless best."

A/N: will be away from the internets for the next five (5) days, so I'll be a little slow in responding to reviews. I should have at least one more chapter ready by then, and likely some new stories as well!  
Hope you enjoyed this, and sorry for the long wait.


	18. Jack Talks

Note: lots of general spoilers for technology and races. Mentions of episode The Sentinel. Also, apologies for the late update. On the plus side, it's a long chapter (4k+) and I've started two brand new stories. More variety happy author more updates. I hope. So, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 18 – Jack Talks

The event was a mixture of a press conference and a public broadcast. The speakers – the president and Jack – were linked with their press audience by cameras and a projection screen, for their own safety. Footage of the speaker was mixed with footage of the audience for the nationwide broadcast. At certain times when illustration was needed, photographs and video clips were played. Hayes and O'Neill could also watch their audience and receive questions.

"Thank you all for assembling as such short notice," the president began. "I'm sure a lot of you are confused, upset, or even outraged. Your understanding of the world has been changed drastically in the past few days. I'm sure you're all wondering what it's like to travel among the stars, and what can be found there. You want to know what creatures have been found, and how they have responded to us. You definitely want to know what technology we have found and how we plan to use it.

To answer these questions, I shall introduce you to a man who has 'been there'. Brigadier General Jack O'Neill is presently the commander of Stargate Command, the facility under Cheyenne Mountain where the Stargate is operated. He led the first mission through the Stargate, and then led the premiere front-line team, SG-1, until his promotion. He is a true American hero, having literally saved Earth multiple times, at the risk – even loss – of his own life. General, over to you."

"Thanks for the introduction, Sir," Jack began. "Though many of you may have read some information that was leaked about the program, I'm going to start from the beginning to make sure we're all on the same page. So... the Stargate. It's a big metal ring, big enough for four people to easily walk through side-by-side. When it's active it looks like a vertical blue pool. If you step into it, it breaks you down into tiny bits of energy, sends them through what the scientists call a 'subspace wormhole', reassembles you and spits you out of a Stargate on another planet. It's a bit disorienting the first few times. The whole journey takes under a second, and can take you to one of thousands of planets in the Milky Way galaxy." Pictures of stargates on several planets, and short clips of personnel stepping into them or out of them accompanied this description.

The stargates were invented and placed by a bunch of people we call the Ancients. We believe they are the first evolution of humans, while we're the second, since a nasty plague wiped most of them out a few million years ago. Earth seems to have been one of their main outposts until they left for the Pegasus Galaxy. More recently, a race of creatures called the Goa'uld reared their snaky little heads." A few pictures of symbiotes and brief clips of their movement were shown.

"The Goa'uld started off swimming in a little lake – which we've found – but they somehow gained the ability to take control of other certain other creatures by burrowing into their necks and attaching to their spinal cord. The first creature they used as hosts is called an Unas." Some pictures and footage were briefly shown. "Not exactly pretty, are they? They do have some level of intelligence though, to the point that we've actually negotiated with them for mining rights. Since the Goa'uld are very unoriginal, the first one to take a host was also called Unas, literally 'The First One'. This fellow was thought to be a myth or a legend, but we happened to accidentally meet him. Incidentally, we killed him too."

"Now, moving along, the Goa'uld made use of the stargates which the Ancients left lying around like so much litter, and eventually found Earth. Since humans are far more attractive and intelligent than Unas, they traded up. Also, humans – namely the Ancient Egyptians – had a much more developed religion, giving the Goa'uld the possibility of receiving worship. The first Goa'uld to take over a human was an arrogant sort – like most of them are – and called himself Ra. He made use of advanced technology – stolen from other races – to make the people worship him as the sun god and generally enslave them. This was far more than they could do with the Unas, so several others followed suit. Ra actually brought his own Stargate to Earth by spaceship. The one the Ancients put here ended up frozen in the ice in Antarctica, though we're not entirely certain of the order or timing.

Anyhow, eventually the Egyptians got sick of Ra, kicked him off Earth, and buried the 'gate. The Goa'uld don't like to admit defeat, so they decided to practically forget about Earth, so no one else would hear about it and rebel. But he had even more problems, because one of the Goa'uld queens named Egeria decided they way Ra and his buddies treated humans wasn't so good. She started a movement called the Tok'ra, which means the resistance against Ra. She and all her symbiote kids started undermining the top Goa'ulds – called the System Lords, although she was eventually caught and imprisoned by Ra.

The Tok'ra have continued their rebellion and generally work by infiltrating and posing and Goa'uld, though they get quite annoyed if you call them that. They also have a rule against taking unwilling hosts like the Goa'uld do, and instead of suppressing the host's consciousness, they do some kind of timeshare thing, so they are basically two minds taking turns at controlling one body. The symbiote gets a nice body with opposable thumbs, and the host gets an extended lifespan and fast healing of all sorts of injuries and ailments. When they're not off on undercover missions, they live in crystal tunnels they grow underground." A few pictures of Tok'ra at home were displayed.

"That's the story behind the Goa'uld and their generally nicer cousins, so we'll get back to the history lesson. They pretty much left us alone after we kicked out Ra, though a few other Goa'ulds have stolen bunches of people from different cultures and transplanted them on other planets for use as slaves and worshipers. They probably came by spaceship, and didn't stick around since Ra wouldn't be too happy if he caught anyone messing with his territory, even though he'd technically left. Ra was the supreme System Lord, so no one messed with his stuff.

At some point prior to the uprising, the Goa'uld decided humans weren't good enough as warriors in their armies, plus they weren't too fond of having their young swimming around in ponds. So to kill two birds with one stone, they created the Jaffa. These genetically engineered humans have a pouch which carries a larval Goa'uld until it is old enough to take a host. As a result, they are strong, heal quickly, and are resistant to disease, because the baby Goa'uld works as the Jaffa's immune system. They don't need to sleep, but they do perform a type of meditation so their symbiote can do it's healing stuff. Unfortunately, because they have no immune system of their own, the Jaffa won't live very long without the snake in his – or her – gut.

These Jaffa serve as the armies of the Goa'uld, and are used to keep slaves in line, to conquer free planets, and of course to fight off other Goa'ulds. Fortunately the Goa'uld squabble a lot between themselves, so they have less time and resources to worry about us humans. The Jaffa have the symbol of their master – who they believe to be their god – tattooed on their foreheads, and wear chain-mail armour. Some of the elite guards wear fancy helmets too. The primary weapon used by Jaffa is the staff weapons. While they are quite deadly in hand-to-hand combat, they are also used to fire bolts of plasma which cause severe burns, and likely instant death if they hit you in the right place. Fortunately they aren't very accurate from a long distance." This was of course illustrated, and generated much audience interest.

There are also more powerful – though less mobile – versions which are called staff cannons. Another common weapon is what we call a zat gun. These are stun weapons that are used in fairly close range. The first shot will stun whoever it hits, and can spread to multiple people. It's also very painful, but you get used to it after enough hits. A second shot soon after the first will usually kill. They also have some rather powerful bombs – big enough to take out the SGC – and shock grenades.

Many Goa'uld – particularly the ones in powerful positions – wear a hand device that can be used to throw people across a room with a lot of force, or for torture and execution. These can't be used by regular humans because Goa'uld hosts have a heavy element in their blood called naquadah, which is the stuff stargates are made from.

Naquadah is a very important element to the Goa'uld, as it is used to power their spaceships and weapons. Planets with naquadah are prime targets for subjugation, which is why it is a good thing Earth doesn't have any. Humans are used as miners, but refining naquadah is a rather toxic process, so only Jaffa are used for that. Goa'uld are able to sense naquadah, which means they know when another Goa'uld or Jaffa is near, and what direction the planet's Stargate is in. Jaffa also can tell when a Goa'uld or Jaffa is near, but not so well.

In space, they have ships which... well the Great Pyramid used to by a landing pad for one. These can bombard a city from space with energy weapons, can travel across the galaxy in a matter of days with hyper-drive, and have powerful energy shields. They have smaller ships which serve and troop transport ships and bombers, and smaller ones than can be used for transporting cargo or a small group of people. A single capital ship – or Ha'tak as they call them – can carry hundreds of Death Gliders, which are two-man fighter craft which are armed with two staff cannons. The older model can actually fly through a Stargate.

Character-wise, the Goa'uld are arrogant, ruthless, conniving, and generally evil. Some of them have a little more honour than others, but on the other hand, some are far worse than others, even to the point of banishment by the System Lords. They see us humans as a lower form of life, fit only to be slaves or hosts. They claim that when they take a host, nothing of the host's mind remains, but that's an utter lie.

While it's not immediately obvious that someone has a snake wrapped around their spine, some of the tip-offs are glowing eyes, an unnatural sounding voice, cliché evil behaviour, an entry scar on their neck, or if they're using a device on their hands to throw you across the room or fry your brain. Unfortunately, a Goa'uld has access to all of its host's memories and thoughts, so they can pretend to be the person they are inhabiting for an extended period of time. They can also take a drug to temporarily prevent others from sensing their presence, but there's no way to fool an MRI or ultrasound."

"Okay, that pretty well covers the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. I'll take a few questions before moving on."

The first question was, "Was a Goa'uld named Hathor actually found alive on Earth?"

"Ahh, my least favourite snakehead. Yep, she did something to upset her husband, Ra, so she was locked up in her sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is actually a device used to extend the Goauld's life, heal major wounds, and even restore the recently dead to life, so long as they are reasonably intact. Repeated use isn't too good for your mental health and leads to addiction with nasty withdrawal symptoms. Anyhow, Hathor was trapped in stasis until an unwitting expedition let her out. She had a funky chemical in her breath which makes men obey whatever she says. Using this, she tried turning the SGC into a nest to build herself a new Jaffa army, but the women of the base succeeded in stopping her. Her sarcophagus was destroyed in the fire-fight, and she got away, but she came to a chilly end when I pushed her into a vat of cryogenic freezing liquid. She's a Goa'uld popsicle now. Next question?"

"How many times have Goa'uld ships attacked Earth?"

"Twice. The first time was just two ships which we took out from the inside. The second time was a whole fleet, which we destroyed with a weapon we found the Ancients had left on Earth. Next?"

"Would we have been safe if we left the Stargate buried?"

"No. Hathor would have found it herself, and no one would have known in time to stop her. Also, the Goa'ulds Osiris and Isis had been trapped in jars by Seth, and they would have brought plenty of System Lords down on our heads. Seth was also hiding out on Earth, keeping a low profile because the System Lords were after him. Being a typical power-hungry snake, he formed several cults throughout history, brainwashing his followers with a stronger version of the stuff Hathor used. The Tok'ra realised he was still on Earth, so we tracked him down, killed him, and freed his followers. Without the Stargate Program, we wouldn't have had the knowledge or resources to deal with him. Next?"

"Are there any aliens known to be on Earth?"

"Yes, a few human refugees from other planets have been allowed to stay on Earth. Most people who can't stay on their planets are resettled on other available planets, but there are some special cases. And there's also Teal'c, who used to the top Jaffa – First Prime – of the former System Lord Apophis. Knowing that Apophis was a false god – now a dead false god – he came over to our side after meeting us and helped us bust out of Apophis's prison. He's been with us for nearly eight years, and is extremely loyal. He's also a leader of the Free Jaffa movement, which is composed of Jaffa who don't serve the Goa'uld and don't believe they are gods. With the Tok'ra we've developed and tested a drug called Tretonin which removes their dependence on the larval Goa'uld. With their armies shrinking, the Goa'uld are losing power, all because Teal'c made the first move of defiance. Next?"

"Do we have a formal alliance with the Tok'ra and the Free Jaffa, and do we have any other allies?"

"At present, we cooperate when we need to, but we don't have close ties. The Jaffa don't want to rely on us because they are still figuring out what freedom actually is, and the Tok'ra work undercover, which prevents them from sharing all the intelligence we require. Also, the Tok'ra and Jaffa really don't get along with each other. We did have a formal alliance for a while, but we've all decided to pull back and do our own thing for a while.

As for other allies, we've got the Asgard. You've gotta love those little grey guys, even when they keep beaming you up in the middle of a sentence." Jack paused and looked around and above him, as if expecting to be whisked away. "Yeah, they've got stacks of great technology, and they've even shared a little with us. The Goa'uld are afraid of them, and they have a treaty which prevents the System Lords from attacking certain protected planets, including Earth. You recently saw an example of a mindless cloned Asgard, courtesy of Alec Colson, and also Asgard hologram technology which was demonstrated by my buddy Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet, and the now Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Carter. She's the one who developed the computer programs that allow us to operate the Stargate, and was formerly my second-in-command on SG-1. Now that I'm in charge of the base, she's taken on command of the team, as much as it's possible to command a Jaffa warrior and a civilian scientist.

The Asgard population doesn't live in our galaxy, but a few hang out here when they have time. They used to have a lot of their time taken dealing with a bunch of big mechanical bugs called the Replicators, but we got rid of them with a few of Carter's clever ideas, a little Ancient technology, and good ol' projectile weapons. They made a try at Earth – they learn from any technology they find and then consume metals into more of themselves – but we stopped them. We lost a Russian sub in the process, and an Asgard ship crashed into the ocean. We'd beamed the Stargate on board as an escape route, so we lost that too. The Russians found that one, and we used the one from Antarctica until it was blown up in a Goa'uld plot. We stopped Earth from being blown up too, and now we're renting the original one back from Russia. And... it's probably time for another question."

"The president implied that you've died. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I've died. The first time, Apophis killed all of SG-1 – back then it was Captain Carter, Teal'c, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and myself. We were brought back by a race called the Nox. They're quite a powerful and interesting race – they can turn themselves and other stuff invisible- but they're pacifists so they're not useful as allies against the Goa'uld. They also call our race 'very young'. There used to be a big alliance between the Nox, Asgard, Ancients, and some other guys we've never met called the Furlings. No one seems to know where they are now, and they probably aren't furry.

Where was I? Oh, dying. A System Lord named Ba'al killed me a whole mess of times and brought me back with the sarcophagus. You really don't want to know about that.

Daniel's had his share of deaths and near-deaths. He was on the very first mission, after he figured out that the symbols on the Stargate are constellations and how they form an address for a point in space. We met a lovely bunch of people on the planet, Abydos, whose ancestors had been taken from Ancient Egypt by Ra. Then Ra showed up and landed his ship on a pyramid which was the brother to the Great Pyramid. Daniel took a staff blast which was meant for me, but Ra wanted to talk to him, so he brought him back in the sarcophagus. Daniel had figured out how to speak their Ancient Egyptian lingo with the help of the locals and their inscriptions that explained their history.

We escaped from Ra with the help of the locals, but Daniel had learned Ra's plan. I'd brought a nuke along in case we found a threat and needed to blow up the Abydos Stargate. Ra intended to send it back to Earth with a bunch of naquadah which would increase its power a whole lot. Instead we sent it up to Ra's ship which was trying to escape, and blew it to bits. I forgot to mention that Goa'uld ships – apart from Death Gliders – have ring transporters which pop out of the floor or the ceiling and send everything inside them to the rings on another ship or a ring platform on the ground.

But that's off the topic of dying. We've thought Daniel to be dead or lost lots of times, but he always finds some way to get back. Actually, he'd be doing most of the talking today if he hadn't been kidnapped by a space pirate. I'm sure you'll hear from him as soon as he annoys her into letting him go. Uh... dying's a rather disconcerting and painful thing, and I don't recommend it. Next?"

"What can you tell us about the attempted assassination of the former Senator Robert Kinsey?"

"Some shady characters wanted him dead and impersonated me to make me take the fall. We caught them. Next? And please keep your questions relevant."

"What alien weapons technology has the United States armed itself with?"

"Zat guns can be useful on off-world missions, and Teal'c likes to have a staff weapon, so we collect those when we can. We prefer to use our own Earth weapons, since we can fire faster and with more accuracy from a greater distance than the Jaffa, plus that's what we're trained to use. The advanced races we've met aren't keen on handing out weapons, because they don't want to be responsible for other races destroying themselves. The Goa'uld bombs and shock grenades and such aren't any better than our own.

We have build some advanced fighter-craft called the F-302, based off the technology in Death Gliders so we have something that's able to counter them. When Anubis – the snake who got kicked out of the System Lord Club for being too evil – brought his fleet to attack Earth, our F-302s kept his smaller ships at bay while we located the Ancient outpost which enabled us to take out the whole fleet." The audience was particularly interested in the accompanying pictures and specifications that were displayed.

"We've also designed and built our first Deep Space Cruiser, the X-303 or Prometheus. She is capable of hyperspace travel, and can carry eight F-302s. She's the best we have to counter a mothership, and is handy for accessing places without a stargate, or when the stargate isn't a viable option. Hyperspace is much slower, of course. I wanted to use the name Enterprise, but the powers insisted in naming her after a Greek tragedy. Her life hasn't been particularly tragic as of yet – from our point of view – though she recently took a bit of a beating from some Al'kesh and gliders. She's still in one piece, which is what matters." Jack was momentarily distracted by thoughts of his missing daughter, but he pressed on.

"You'll be interested to know that all her offensive weapons are Earth-made. No alien death-rays or anything like that. We'd like really like some, however. They're much more effective against enemy ships. Wouldn't make much difference on Earth since you can do plenty of damage with a missile. Beam weapons are overkill and a waste of energy when used planet-side. Keep in mind that our purpose is to protect Earth from outside threats, not blow it to bits squabbling amongst ourselves. Next question."

_Meanwhile, at the Alpha Site…_

"Wow, that was a lot simpler than I thought," Sam remarked as she looked over her latest creation.

"The game chair _is_ an adaptive system, after all. It's not that surprising that we could interface it with the Replicator collective," Jennifer countered. She tested the final connections and closed an access panel. "We still don't know how well it will work."

"According to simulations, better than manual control. And even for an adaptive system, I expected more problems from connecting such different technologies together. We've done well."

"Doctor Lee's instructions helped too. A bit. And you seem very focussed today."

The lieutenant-colonel sighed softly. "I'm focussed because I'm worried and trying not to worry," she admitted. "Cynthia, Daniel, and Cassie are all missing, as well as Janet's son Ivan, and with the SGC going public, anything could be happening on Earth."

"I'm worried too." Jen said with a nod. "We'll have to trust the people responsible, to do their jobs." The implication was that they should be concentrating on doing their job, but Jen knew better than to say that. "Which System Lord is next on the list?"

"Svarog," Sam replied from memory. "We encountered his forces on P2A018 a few years ago."

"That's the one with the Sentinel device, right? Latona?"

"That's the one. The rogue NID caused trouble there. Svarog has had a few years to rebuild his fleet, so we're going to take him out before he has a chance to send it anywhere."

Jen responded with a satisfied nod. "Sounds like a good plan."


	19. Jack Talks More, and More

Chapter 19 – Jack Talks More, and More

"Alright everyone, break's over. Time for another question," Jack announced.

"Will civilians ever be allowed to travel through the stargate?"

"At present, we have a number of civilian scientists, some of whom are escorted off-world when necessary, and a few who have a permanent position on an SG team, such as Daniel on SG-1. But we don't intend to open it to the general public for interplanetary picnics and tea-parties."

"What about a university requesting to use the stargate for research purposes."

Jack shrugged. "It would take a lot of convincing to get permission, but it's possible."

"Will the entire planet benefit from alien technology?"

"I'd certainly hope we can prevent the entire planet from being destroyed," Jack answered, in a way that showed he was not being completely serious. "You should keep in mind that finding a machine or plant or book of secrets or whatever does not mean we can immediately give everyone free energy or free lunch and stop every known disease. We still need to do a lot of research and figure out how to mass produce stuff. And just because some planet has a miracle drug to cure the common cold, it doesn't mean it will be safe to indiscriminately give it to everyone on the planet. It's no different to inventions and drugs that were thought up by people on Earth – alien technology has even more tests and rules and regulations to make sure we don't accidentally poison ourselves. All that takes a lot of time and money, so you should be glad that the USA are the ones shelling out so everyone can have the benefit. Next?"

"Will Earth be building more spaceships, and will we be exploring the planets in our solar system as well as venturing into the rest of the galaxy?"

"Now that the secret's out, we can put more resources into construction of ships. I'm sure all the space agencies will get their hands on technology to better explore the solar system, and there should be opportunity for science missions once we have more ships to spare and less to worry about from the Goa'uld. Expect to hear more about Prometheus from Julia Donovan later today. Next please."

"Will we get to talk with an actual alien?"

"I'm sure we can get Teal'c to say 'indeed' a few times when he's not away on a mission. And Thor might drop in and do a 'Greetings, people of Earth' spiel some time when he's in the neighbourhood." Jack sadly remembered that Selmac was no longer living, and briefly wondered when the Tok'ra would be finished with Jake. "As for the human refugees who've stayed with us, I'm sure they'd rather be left alone. Next?"

"Do you like to watch science fiction?"

"No, because it's too much like my job. But it's hard to avoid, because Teal'c is seriously hooked on the Star Wars movies. Next question."

"Do light sabers exist?"

"I've never seen anything like a light saber that actually worked. So the answer is no, apart from the kind in toy stores."

"What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen?"

"Seeing robotic duplicates of SG-1 was pretty weird. Especially seeing them dead and leaking oil and stuff. And sometimes when I don't clean out my fridge for several months, it gets pretty weird."

"Weren't you the military advisor for Wormhole X-treme? Because that show is rather similar to what you're claiming to be the truth."

Jack groaned. "I was hoping that wouldn't come up. My position as military advisor was a cover for an investigation into the whereabouts of a few non-hostile alien humans who have since left Earth. They fled here because the Goa'uld attacked their planet, but they decided they didn't like it here. Remember that spaceship on the show that was the only decent visual effect? That was them leaving.

While I definitely don't endorse the show personally, Teal'c seems to think it's a hoot, and the Air Force allowed it to exist so it could be used as 'plausible deniability'. Maybe now that the stargate is public knowledge, someone will create a better, more accurate show that people will actually want to watch. Oh, and if you want the full story behind how the show came to be, you'd better ask Martin Lloyd. I expect he'll be given permission to honestly answer that question, once the paperwork is finished. Next?"

"Who do you think is – or was – the worst Goa'uld?"

"Ba'al and Hathor are close, but the worst would have to be Nirti. She regularly performed genetic experiments on her people to try and create a more powerful host body, and when she was in danger of discovery, she wiped everyone out with a plague to cover the evidence, and left one little girl alive with a bomb inside her meant to destroy our stargate. All the Goa'uld are rotten, but one who stoops to using children has to be the worst of the lot. You'll be pleased to hear that the girl is fine, and Nirti was later killed by one of her own creations. Time for two more questions."

"Would you retire on another planet?"

"There are a few cosy corners of the galaxy I wouldn't mind settling down on, but I'd need something rigged up so I don't miss The Simpsons. I was once trapped on a planet for three months, and it was pleasant enough. There are far worse places on Earth, but there was a lot missing. My friends, for one, and they couldn't make decent cake. Fortunately Carter found a way to bend the laws of physics and rescue me before the local brew finished me off – that stuff was strong! One last question, so make it a good one."

"How much danger are we in from alien attack? Honestly."

"The System Lords are dangerous, but they're afraid of the Asgard so I don't see them attacking us. They also have a tendency to squabble amongst themselves. Anubis was a significant threat, but he knows not to mess with us after we foiled his attempt to knock Earth around with an asteroid, messed up his try at getting rid of us by exploding the 'gate, and then ripped his fleet to bits with the Ancient weapon. I'd say that while there is risk, we're a lot more prepared than we were when the program started. Besides the Goa'uld, the only known races that surpass us technologically are either friendly or pacifist. Apart from the Aschen, a race of the most boring humans ever, who go around pretending to be friendly and then contaminate planets with sterility drugs and wait until there's so few inhabitants left that they can use them as farmland. We figured out what they were up to and gave them what was coming to them.

But as I was saying, there's absolutely no reason to panic. We have more to fear from ourselves than from the rest of the galaxy. You're far more likely to get in a car wreck than witness an alien invasion, and panicking wouldn't help in either case. We've saved the world before, and we can do it again if need be, but there's no imminent doom marked on the calendar. We – the military – need to be prepared so we don't get caught sitting on our hands, but for all you civilians, life should go on as usual. There's no need to stockpile food and weapons – it will only cause trouble, and wouldn't make any difference to the Goa'uld if they showed up with a dozen motherships. Even if that somehow happened, I'd advise everyone to wait quietly while the military handles it. If you really want to do your bit to help, then I'd suggest you join the service, and if you're good enough, you just might get assigned to off-world missions. And we can use good scientists too, particularly if they can follow orders. Everyone else, I hope you can appreciate that we're keeping the planet safe for you, and respect that by living long happy lives. Okay?

Well, our time's up folks, and I need to get back to work. Please don't be concerned when I vanish in a bright flash of light. That's just the transporter beaming me back to the SGC." The brigadier general waved to his audience and disappeared as he had warned.

_A little later, on a hospital bed..._

Cassandra Frasier awoke, having needed to rest after her earlier outburst. She was vaguely aware that the nurse was in the room, and decided she should apologise. "Uh, Nurse Helen? I guess you can hear me." In response, she felt a hand gently touch her arm. "Um, sorry about losing my temper earlier. It's kinda hard to cope with being kidnapped, injured, and held prisoner. And I guess I'm a bit sensitive about my mom, 'cos she adopted me after my family was killed in a plague along with everyone else I ever knew."

"Plague?" the nurse asked, having secured another radio. She remembered her patient saying that a Goa'uld had experimented on her people, and that they were dead, but hadn't had the opportunity to ask for details until now.

Cassie picked up on the question, since she was already familiar with the frequency and had been passively listening without realising what she was doing. "Yeah, the whole... town was wiped out by a disease that was intentionally introduced." She was reluctant to mention that it was on another planet, partly because it was private, and partly because she was still feeling the effects of the sedative and thus wasn't sure what she should and shouldn't talk about.

"But you survived?"

"Yeah, and there was nothing well-intentioned about letting me live," Cassie replied, thinking of the bomb she'd carried.

"Oh! It all makes sense now."

"What does?"

"General O'Neill was on TV while you were asleep."

"He was?"

"Yes, he was answering questions about the stargate program. He said that the worst Goold was Nirti because she wiped out everyone on a planet with a plague except one girl who was planted with a bomb to destroy the stargate. That was you, right?"

Cassie just nodded slightly.

"Oh my... I'm talking to an alien!" Nurse Pyn realised.

"Extra-terrestrial human," Cassie corrected, wrinkling her nose slightly.

The nurse shrugged, but fortunately Cassie could not see the gesture. "Well, we scanned you while you were out, and I can say for certain that you don't have any sort of parasite in you, snake or otherwise."

"Does that mean you can let me go?"

"There's the unresolved matter of the electrical phenomena you are causing. We can't just let you go in this state."

"It's the result of the experiment Nirti was doing on my people. She was trying to make a more powerful host body, but the transformation process – caused by a virus – could not be completed because it strained the body too much. Mom made Nirti cure me – at gunpoint – and we thought this ability was gone forever, but a couple of days ago I accidentally discovered I could still do it. I think the ability was suppressed or blocked, and I instinctively reactivated it when I was in danger of being electrocuted by a power line that landed on my car."

Helen looked dubious, but of course Cassie couldn't see that. "There's no way of knowing whether you're telling the truth. For all I know, the military could be engineering super-soldiers and the whole stargate thing is just a distraction."

Cassie snorted dismissively. "Do you really think the government would tell us there's a bunch of alien parasites who want to destroy us, if it isn't true?"

"Who knows what they'd say these days? In any case, my superiors have ordered that you are kept secure, and that no one may be informed until more clarity is found. If the military show up and demand that you are released, we'll have no choice but to do so, but we're not sending them an invitation."

"But your superiors don't know everything I've told you!" Cassie protested.

"I doubt they'll change their minds when I tell them, but I'll see what I can do. They already think you're either an alien or a military experiment."

"Could you tell them that there are a lot of people who want to kidnap me, including at least one Goa'uld? The longer I'm imprisoned, the more time they have to find me. I can't even defend myself in this state." That wasn't quite true. Cassie knew that even blind, deaf, and secured to a bed, she could make some use of her new abilities. Hopefully she would be released at some point, which should allow her to struggle, plus she had the benefit of sensing the presence of Goa'uld. While not enough to prevent capture with any certainty, it meant she wasn't entirely helpless.

"I'll pass on the warning. In the meantime, Kyle is guarding the door."

"That doesn't inspire much confidence." A question that had been nagging the teen for a while came to mind. "No offence, but why have I only seen a nurse? Where are all the doctors?"

"We've had to take some of the patients from the hospital near where you knocked out the power, so we're rather busy. And there are extra injuries due to people stumbling around in the dark last night, and several cases of electrical burns. You're stable, so you're low priority."

Cassie looked guilty. "I'm supposed to be studying to become a doctor, but all I've done is hurt people and shut down a hospital. None of this would have happened if I'd stayed home."

Helen couldn't think of a good response. "I'll be back shortly. I'll send Kyle in to keep you company, okay?"

"Thanks, but I'd rather rest for a bit longer."

_At the Alpha Site…_

"Is it working?" Lieutenant Hailey asked anxiously.

"Wow. Yes, it is," came Sam's voice from the computer. "The communication link is doing its job. Good work."

"Believe it or not, the idea of creating an audio link to communicate with the person in the game chair was actually suggested by Felger," Jen revealed distastefully.

"But he didn't write any of the code, right?" Sam asked, concerned about the presence of viruses or suchlike in such a critical system. Jay Felger wasn't so bad, but she didn't feel comfortable about interfacing her mind with anything he'd created.

"Don't worry, he's been too busy on the adhesive project. You know, the once that was specially chosen because it doesn't involve high temperatures or plugging anything in to the base electrical system or computer networks."

"Ah, of course. Well, we'd better get on with defeating Svarog. It's time to activate the subspace link."

"Yes Ma'am!" Jen replied snappily as she threw the final switches. "Receiving data feed. Preparing to activate the bridge to the chair's virtual reality. Initialising…"

"Wow, this is incredible!" Sam declared in awe. "So much data. This will take some getting used to."

"Deployment is in just over an hour," Jen reminded the lieutenant colonel.

"I should have the hang of it by then. It's mostly a matter of learning what data is important and what it means. Fortunately all I need to do is watch the Replicators and ensure that they stay within mission parameters. Once I have a feel for it, I'll be able to guide their overall strategy, or focus closely on a particular group performing a specialised task, such as chasing down Svarog himself. Fortunately I've already had some experience with using the game chairs, as well as the time my mind was trapped in the computer."

"Have you tried writing new subroutines yet? It should be far easier than manually entering code from outside."

"I'll try that once I have a better grasp of the Replicator data encoding. I don't want to lose control of them or crash the chair's computer while I'm connected to it."

"That shouldn't be possible…"

"You should know not to say things like that by now, Jen."

"Sorry Sam."

_On P4Z504…_

"Wake up, it's shopping time!" an unbearably cheerful voice called.

Daniel rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Huh?"

"My ship should be ready for us to get off this planet," said the voice that he recognised as Vala Mal Doran.

"Oh. What was that about shopping?"

"Well, I've got to spend my naquadah on something, haven't I? Hopefully I can find a nice place to serve as a base of operations."

"Operations?"

"Yes, the operations by which we get rich finding and trading Ancient technology. We don't want to live on a ship forever."

"_We_ want to go back to Earth," Daniel pointed out.

"Now, now, there's no need to be ungrateful. We need to get moving, so you'd better get out of bed. Unless you want me to help you out of bed," she added.

"Uh, no, I'll be fine. Where's Cynthia?"

"Oh, she's downstairs finding something to eat. Or else she's escaping, but that would be such as shame, since I told her I'd have to shoot you if she did that. Besides, I told the staff here not to let her out of the building. You either."

"What if I told them they could keep your ship and naquadah if they kicked you off the planet and let Cynthia and I go?" Daniel asked.

"All sorts of nasty revenge might result if they did that, so I expect they'll simply laugh at you. Besides, the idea that you'd actually do that is laughable itself."

"Oh. Did you say there was food?"

"That depends on whether Cynthia leaves anything. That girl has quite an appetite," Vala teased in order to hurry Daniel along.

"Fine, I'm getting up," Daniel replied with a yawn. "I just hope they have coffee."

"What's coffee?"

"Argh!"

_A little later, a__t the SGC…_

"The MALP shows the area around the gate is clear, although muddy. You have a go, people. Find out all you can, and try not to start a war."

At General O'Neill's command, SG-3 and the diplomatic team under their guard stepped through the stargate to P4Z504, in search of Daniel Jackson and Cynthia Sanders.

A/N Delays due to Half-Life 2 etc. Thanks for putting up with me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	20. Taken In

Chapter 20 – Taken in

Cassie had learned a thing or two from Teal'c, and now was the time to apply one of them. She had noticed that she could sense electromagnetic fields better when she could concentrate on the task. Now that sight and sound had been removed, it was easier to focus on the fields. A few meditation techniques from Teal'c should theoretically help even more.

Sure enough, meditation helped immensely. Cassie found herself drawn into a world of waves, of motion with colour and sound. It was like what she had experienced before, but far more intense. While her blindness had not changed, she could sense where objects disrupted and scattered rays of light, and where clouds of electrons swirled. The experience was so intense that she could hardly withstand it. A part of her mind wanted to reach out and touch this surreal world, but somehow she knew there would be terrible consequences if she allowed that to happen.

Mentally venturing through the torrent of sensation, she found that walls were not a barrier. On the other side of the door, she met a very different set of sensations. A living being. While everything was made of waves on a small scale, this being also moved on a large scale, and internally was a flurry of activity. By comparison, the walls around her seemed close to motionless.

After straining to understand what she was seeing, she recognised it as Kyle. The barrage of information was staggering. She could sense on an entirely different scale to regular sight. If she wished, she could focus on a single cell, or on an individual protein. In fact, she lost an untold number of minutes doing just that.

A sudden sense of wrongness interrupted her research. Three more masses of life - humans - walked down the hallway. Something was profoundly wrong with their nerve impulses, and with the energy they radiated. The cause quickly became apparent. "Kyle! Gould!" The sudden excitement threw her out of the meditative state, so as she yelled she found herself again shrouded in silent darkness.

Outside the ward, Kyle saw three masked, gloved figures hurrying in his direction. He heard Cassie's yell, and understood it at they same time as the newcomers. Two of them raised a gloved hand each, and the cadet instinctively dove out of the way.

His move proved to be wise, as the gloves were split open, followed by the door. He quickly attempted to radio for help, but was hit by a further blast. The distortion knocked him against the opposite wall, unconscious.

Cassie felt a wave of pressure, followed by the jolt of the door hitting her bed. She expected to sense naquadah, which she could do regardless of her other abilities, but nothing registered. The lack of awareness while she knew Goa'uld were around sent her into a panic. She tried to calm down and focus, but found it impossible.

Just as she began to hope she might be safe, she smelt something. Gas. Knockout gas. She felt her consciousness slip away, and then nothing. Unseen hands released her from the restraints and lifted her from the bed.

_A few minutes later..._

Two men stood in an office, deep in the administrative wing of the hospital. One wore a mask and gloves. "We have the girl. The goddess is pleased with your assistance."

The hospital administrator gave a nervous smile. "The goddess is welcome - so long as I'm paid the agreed sum."

"The cameras remain disabled?"

"Yes."

"Good. You will receive payment three times over."

"Three times?!"

"Yes. Three times." Three bursts of blue energy hit the administrator.

_At the SGC…_

"Ah, Agent Barrett. Good news, I hope," said General O'Neill into his phone.

"I'm afraid not, General. We finally found a lead on Cassandra Frasier's whereabouts, but three goa'uld beat us to her."

"They have her? _Who_ has her? _Where_ was she?"

"She was in a hospital. The single witness says her room was approached by three people – two male, one female – wearing black masks and gloves, in order to conceal their faces and hand devices. He was knocked unconscious in the initial conflict, and Cassandra is gone from her room. He also says she shouted 'gould', meaning she could detect them from some distance through a closed door."

"What about security cameras?"

"They were switched off. We suspect the administrator may have been involved. He has not been found for questioning."

"Wait, _hospital?_"

"You'll receive a full report of her recent activities. It seems that she accidentally caused an explosion which caused loss of sight and hearing."

"Could… could you repeat that?"

"Cassandra is blind and deaf." There was a long pause. "General? General, are you still there?"

"Give me… a minute."

"General, she's otherwise in good health," Agent Barrett said, trying to give the general something more positive to consider.

"_Good health?_ The _Gould_ have her, for crying out loud! That's bad for _everyone_'s health!"

"I know, I know. We'll get her out. Try not to worry, I know you already have your own search and rescue missions to worry about."

"Yes," said Jack blandly. "This had better not leak to the public. We don't need mass panic created by the threat of alien abduction."

"We still know what Classified means, General. Speaking of the public, your Q&A broadcast was very well received. You're all over the Internet."

"Kinsey must be seething!"

"He is, but he's not getting much attention. Julia Donovan gained a lot of attention with her little tour of Prometheus, and she put SG-1 in good light for stopping the hijackers."

"I'm sure someone around here taped it. I'll watch it when everything calms down again."

Jack heard the clatter of a keyboard over the phone. "This doesn't look so good."

"What's happened now?" asked Jack with concern.

"The technicians just informed me of a new website. One promoting an initiative to put the stargate under civilian control."

"Is it a problem for the SGC?"

"Not now, but it could become one if it gains support."

"Can we, uh..."

"Nip it in the bud, General?"

"Have I told you how I feel about clichés?"

"You have. But there isn't anything we can legally do. They do have a right to free speech, and there is no classified information being leaked."

"Speaking of which, have you found the kids who started this party?"

"Er, no, they've gone to ground. Not a trace."

"Perhaps the Trust got to them first," the NID agent suggested. "We haven't found any references to capturing them in any of the messages we've intercepted, but it's still a possibility."

"I still don't understand how those kids got inside Area 51. Or how they knew all the information in that article. Unless… they're working for someone who was spying on the Trust?"

"Unlikely. Neither of them appear to be connected to anything of note. Apart from Doctor Frasier, that is, but that doesn't have any obvious bearing on the situation."

"Well, keep an eye out for them. Back to the topic at hand, what's this website you were telling me about?"

"It's www dot gatecake dot org."

Jack blinked. "Excuse me, did you say 'gate cake'?"

"Yes, the name of the initiative is Creating A Kinder Earth."

The general considered this name. "Clever. People will go for that. Everyone likes cake."

"You're right, it's a compelling name. I..."

Malcolm Barrett was loudly interrupted by a call of, "Offworld activation!"

"Sorry, that will be the search team. Rescue Cassie, and keep me posted."

"I'll do my best, General."

Jack dropped the phone and ran for the control room. "What have you got?" he asked the technician.

"The search team on P4Z504 requests permission to return, Sir" she informed him.

"Did they... succeed?"

"No, Sir."

Jack sighed. "Open the iris." He watched as the team returned. They were cold and muddy, but whole. "Ferretti, report."

"We successfully coerced some of the locals into cooperating. They revealed that Doctor Jackson and Miss Sanders were taken off the planet by Vala Mal Doran a short time before our arrival on the planet. She had purchased a transport ship with some of the naquadah she stole."

"She has three names? I knew those funny-looking aliens were holding back. What else did you learn?"

"We found the hotel they stayed at. The owner assured us that Daniel and Cynthia were in good health and appeared to be well looked after, though tired."

"Did anyone know where this Vala might have gone next?"

"No one had any useful information in that regard, Sir."

Jack sighed. "And what method of coercion did you use on the locals?"

"Plan Delta Delta Juliet Three, Sir," said Lou with a straight face.

"Bribed them with bars of chocolate, eh? How did you get so muddy?"

"One of the local gangs realised we had more chocolate. Fortunately they knew better than to use force against us. We didn't want to start a fire fight either, so we returned in kind before retreating. They're as muddy as us, Sir."

"I expect to see the chocolate you defended at the debriefing in one hour. Try not to get mud on anything." Jack watched the muddy SG teams as they tramped out of the gateroom. When they were gone, he realised that he had a bounty of bad news to deliver, and groaned.

_At the Alpha Site…_

Unaware of the bad tidings which would soon reach her, Sam Carter watched as Svarog's forces fruitlessly fired upon a swarm of Replicator bugs. Following her orders, the metal insects disarmed and subdued Jaffa, and searched out Svarog and any minor Goa'ulds who served the System Lord. Soon to be former System Lord.

-

Note: The extra Cassie whumping in this chapter (i.e. in addition to all the previous stuff) wasn't planned, but as I wrote that scene I discovered that it didn't make sense for her to escape. Oh well, this works too :P Thanks for reading, and I hope you can forgive me for letting Cassie get caught. Quit grumbling now, and CAKE will be served, immediately :P


	21. Let Them Eat Cake!

Chapter 21 – Let Them Eat Cake!

"Janet."

The doctor turned at the sound of the general's voice, and knew from the sound and his expression that he bore bad news. "Is it Cassie?" she asked with all the concern of a mother.

"She's alive," Jack answered, not wanting her to think the very worst.

"But?"

"The NID found where she was, but she was kidnapped before they got to her."

"I thought she was already kidnapped," said Janet in confusion.

"She escaped, was picked up by the police, was nearly kidnapped again and escaped, caused an electrical explosion when she was nearly captured again, was taken to the hospital, and that's where they picked her up again."

"The hospital – she was hurt?"

"She wasn't wounded any more than before, but... since the explosion, she can't see or hear."

"No! Not Cassie!" The very idea of her precious daughter cut off from the world in such a manner was simply horrifying.

"She... she can speak fine and she can hear radio transmissions," Jack said as a small comfort.

"But now the Gould have her. They'll... you know what they'll do with her," replied the distraught doctor.

"The NID are hunting her down. They'll get her back," Jack assured her. "Listen, you should take the day off."

Janet shook her head. "They've taken my daughter, but they won't stop me from doing my job."

"Take a break, then see if you feel like working. I'll instruct the other doctors to keep an eye on you." Normally such a statement would earn him larger needles for his next injection, but he knew he could get away with it this time.

"I'll do that. Thank you, General."

"You heard that they didn't find Daniel or Cynthia?"

"Yes, Sir. SG-3 filled me in."

"Daniel's most likely trying to talk his way back home, and my daughter will be concocting some highly technical and explosive escape plan," Jack guessed.

"I'm sure they are," Janet agreed.

"They'll be back. They'll all be back."

"I believe it," Janet answered. She had to. She couldn't afford to believe anything else.

-

"And here we are on the larger moon of Bryx," Vala Mal Doran announced.

"What's it called?" Cynthia wondered curiously.

"We call it the larger moon of Bryx," Vala replied. "It doesn't have a name of its own."

"Oh."

"What happens now?" Daniel asked.

"Now I dock with the superintendent's satellite and pay for a months rental of one of the nicer high-security beach-front apartments."

"Superintendent?" Daniel sounded somewhat incredulous.

Vala shrugged. "It's a rough translation."

-

_In a small out of the way town, early that evening..._

"You're sure we're safe here?" Leah asked, as she'd asked many times before. She wasn't used to being afraid for her life.

"As far as I can tell, they won't find us any time soon. They aren't likely to look for us in this place, but I'll know if they do," Ivan assured his friend, for whom he had somehow become responsible.

"I never expected something like this would happen when I ran into you. You were never this much trouble back in school," she reflected.

Ivan shrugged. "I'm not the one who took pictures of an alien cargo ship. But enough about that. Let's see what's on TV." The pair were holed up in a run-down hotel, and had begun to finance themselves with their respective trades of photography and labour at the general store. Ivan supplemented his meagre earnings with a variety of crazy bets. It was enough to cover the room and food, but a larger income wouldn't have helped much, since there were no other hotels. At least there was a working TV set.

"It'll be about the Stargate," Leah declared. That was the topic of the day, not that people had stopped wondering whether it would rain, how the crops would fare, or if taxes would go up. Some things remained constant.

"No bet," Ivan joked, switching on the box.

"How's the headache?" Leah inquired as the news began.

"I'm coping." It ranged a dull ache when he was blocking the visions of other times, and extreme pain after excessive use.

"Please be careful," she urged him.

"Careful not to let anyone sneak up on us?"

"You know what I mean."

Ivan didn't answer, as the TV had taken his attention.

-TV-

"Tonight we are privileged to interview Mr Edward Blake, the well-known millionaire philanthropist, and now a member for the organisation known as Creating A Kinder Earth. Mr Blake, what can you tell us about the organisation?"

"Before I answer, I'd like to thank you for having me on the show, Amy. You do a great job."

"Thank you," the interviewer replied brightly."

"Now, Creating A Kinder Earth, or CAKE, as we prefer to call it, is an international effort to remove the Stargate from control of the United States military. We believe that the Stargate belongs to the entire planet, and everyone should be allowed to reap the benefits, including cheap interstellar travel."

"So, in a sense you're a lobby group?"

"You could see it that way, at least in part. We hope to gain support of citizens of all nations, to the point that Russia will allow us to use the gate rather than allowing the USAF to have near-exclusive access. Once that happens, CAKE will oversee the use of the Stargate and the technology we gain from it."

"For what purpose are you taking donations?"

"Well, we don't expect the Russians to give us the Stargate for free. Also, we will need initial capital for infrastructure."

"You mentioned 'cheap' interstellar travel. I assume that means you will be charging people to step through the Stargate?"

"That is correct. There are considerable power costs involved in connection to another planet. We plan to minimise costs by building an offworld terminal, to which travellers will be sent in large batches. From there, they can split off to whatever planet they wish to visit. This will reduce the number of outgoing wormholes from Earth required, since we are only dialling a single address for everyone."

"What about ships? Spaceships, that is."

"We have plans to have a 'space port' as part of the off-world base. We belive this would be safer than increasing the air traffic around Earth. Of course, conventional aircraft will eventually be replaced by safer technology, so we'll see what eventuates."

"What about Earth's enemies, such as the Goa'uld?"

"For the time being, we will need world military forces to provide security, and expect to allow continuing off-world missions, subject to our approval. While we eventually intend to only allow peaceful missions, we do not wish to neglect the security of our planet."

"How does CAKE intend to assure the entire planet benefits from alien technology?"

"We plan to allow R&D companies to have access to technology encountered off-world. Since there will be many companies doing this in public, rather than a few in secret, we will see better and faster results. Since these companies will be competing with one another – they can't patent alien technology – then consumers are guaranteed the best technology for the best prices. CAKE will also regulate these companies to ensure any technology they develop is only used for the good of all citizens of this planet, and they adhere to strict safety protocols."

"An ambitious plan, but also one that sounds necessary for the continued peace and prosperity of Earth. Thank you for sharing with us, Mr Blake."

"I thank you for the opportunity to share CAKE with the world. My greatest hope is that the world gives CAKE a chance."

-End TV-

"That was interesting. It sounds like a good idea, though you've told me that the SGC are doing a good job with the current arrangement. What do you think?"

"Hmm, I..." Ivan seemed to freeze.

Leah waited for him to continue. "Ivan?" she prompted. When the stillness remained, she tried poking him. "Hey, are you with me?" Ivan moved sluggishly away from the offending finger. "What's up?" The young man made several slow but sloppy movements, and then tried rising from the couch. He failed and would have fallen on his face if Leah hadn't caught him. "I think you'd better keep still," she suggested.

Ivan's lips contorted, as if we was attempting to speak. "T ... ooooooooooooo ... ffffff ... aaaahhh ... sssssss ... t ..." he seemed to whisper. The sounds were very drawn out and badly formed.

"What's too fast?" Leah asked, but he didn't seem to hear her. She was at a loss for a minute, but finally an idea came to her. "Paper. I'll get a pen and some paper." She left Ivan, who didn't seem to be in immediate danger, and after some rummaging, returned with the supplies. 'What is too fast?' she wrote in large letters.

Ivan fumbled for the pen, his movements slow, yet continually overshooting the goal. After several tries he successfully gripped the writing implement and began to write in large unsteady letters, 'E... V... E... R... YT." The last two letters were written increasingly quickly, and with far less difficulty. Ivan let out a sigh of relief. "Back to normal," he declared seriously. "I was rather worried for a moment."

"What happened, Ivan?"

"Everything seemed to speed up, or my mind slowed down," Ivan informed her. "I couldn't understand a thing you were saying, and my apparent reaction time was extremely slow."

"That sounds nasty. How long did it last? For you."

"About half a minute."

"It was around five for me. So you could have been ten times slower."

"Yeah." Ivan was a little frightened, and with good reason. "It must be a side effect. Not only does my mind see things from other times, but now it has a loose grip on the correct passage of time. I expect it will only get worse if I allow it to."

"Then don't allow it," was the simple answer.

"That means not seeing the futures. If I ignore them, I might not be able to avoid something which I ought to."

"Maybe you should just... take it easy. Try to get some sleep."

"Easier said than done."

"A sedative might help."

"If we had any."

"I could sing," Leah suggested.

"You can sing?"

"Don't you remember my singing?"

"Oh, yeah, you _can_ sing. Worth a try."

-

_At the Alpha Site..._

"And that's the end of Svarog," Sam declared as she climbed out of the Game Chair. "And most of his minor lords. We're ready for the cleanup phase." She turned to face Lieutenant Hailey and saw the look on her face. "Bad news from Earth?"

Jen nodded. "I... I think you'd better hear it from General O'Neill."

Sam gave an answering nod and reached for the subspace communicator.


	22. Bullets to the Face

Chapter 22 – Bullets to the Face

"How much longer?"

"The president wants a few more System Lords taken out. Now that he has to keep the public happy, he wants to ensure the Goa'uld aren't going to show up and cause a big panic. And he'd rather we use our new super-weapon as much as possible before anyone has a chance of implementing countermeasures."

"I understand, Jack. But I miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you too. Hang in there. It'll be over soon, and we can be a family. The three of us."

"Do you really think…"

"Sure I do. Cynthia is a smart, tough, girl. And she's got Daniel with her. He's probably busy translating buried alien treasure while she's building space cannons for pirate ships. And by building I mean sabotaging. The kid invented her own mini-stargate. She'll probably build herself a robotic pet giant worm to make a wormhole back to Earth."

Sam laughed. "There are no worms in wormholes."

"No?" Jack returned in mock ignorance. "What a relief."

Sam laughed again, which was Jack's intention. "How's Janet?"

"She's ready to grab a gun and go after the Goa'uld." She hadn't actually said that, but Jack could tell just from looking at the doctor.

"Maybe the sensors on Prometheus could be calibrated to detect unusual electrical disturbances that coincide with human life-signs and the presence of naquadah. It might work," Sam suggested.

"Good idea. I'll tell Hammond to get some techs on it."

"I should get back to work."

"How's it going?"

"The locals were very pleased to see the end of Svarog, but rather worried about the 'giant metal beasts' that had invaded. We were able to eventually reassure them. Now we're moving on to a half-dozen worlds ruled by minor Goa'ulds subordinate to Svarog. Teal'c also has a few dozen new recruits for the Free Jaffa movement. If it wasn't so important, he'd be back on Earth in an instant, tearing up the place and bashing heads to rescue Cassie."

"I'm sure he would," Jack agreed. "Tell him 'kree' for me. And take care."

"I will. Tell me as soon as you hear anything about Cynthia or Cassie. And you be careful too. The whole earth knows you're the commander of the SGC, and there must be many people who don't like that."

"Don't worry. I love you too much to let anything happen to me, Sam."

"So do I, Jack. So do I."

-

After informing Hammond of Sam's idea to locate Cassie, Jack searched for the missing young woman's mother. He was informed that the doctor had taken a break, and eventually found her at the firing range. She was shooting at a target decorated with a printout of a familiar face. "We already killed Nirti," he pointed out.

Janet shrugged. "Whoever has my daughter can't be very different to that… snake."

"You're right. Got any spare printouts?"

The doctor pointed to a large stack. "Someone made up a new batch yesterday. It has most of the Goa'uld we've encountered." Some were missing, notably Ammaunet and Osiris. Jack was pleased to find Ba'al's goateed face in the stack.

-

"Report."

"My Lady, the hok'taur has been secured in the inhibitor."

"Very good," Athena answered. "What other news is there?"

"Svarog has fallen."

"Svarog? Really? To whom?"

"The same mechanical creatures which took over the domain of Bastet."

"How are the other System Lords reacting?"

"They are… worried." The messenger was reluctant to use the word 'fearful' to describe the gods. "One of your spies reports that Kali is considering taking Ba'al's territory to gain additional resources in order to defend herself against this threat."

"You mean _my_ territory."

"Yes, My Lady. I was merely quoting the words of Kali."

"It appears I am not being taken seriously. Did I not singlehandedly defeat Anubis' Khull warriors?"

"You did this, My Lady."

"Of course, no one else has any, so I suppose no one cares." The Goa'uld queen began thinking aloud. "It's a pity they only obey Anubis. It would have been a significant advantage to have some at my disposal to teach Kali her place." Athena sighed, annoyed at the new complication. "The hok'taur will make an excellent Ashrak, but I mustn't rush that. The problem is that Ba'al's Jaffa are barely loyal. If Kali attacks, most of them will desert. Hmm, perhaps I can buy their loyalty. What's the fundraiser status?"

"CAKE donations have surpassed thirty million."

"Better than I expected, but I need the capital for my Earth operations. And Jaffa have no use for American Dollars. Perhaps they will fight for chocolate."

"I doubt exotic food would affect their decision when surrounded by the forces of Kali The Destroyer."

"I need a new source of wealth or technology. Something to inspire true loyalty."

"Perhaps you could destroy the mechanical creatures which defeated Bastet and Svarog."

"I need to do that anyway, before they get to _my_ territory. I believe the Hok'taur will be suitable for that task, but not yet. For now…" Athena dug through the various plans and tactics she had accumulated. "I have it! The Clava Thessara Infinitas! Yes, that will be perfect. I have CAKE meetings tomorrow which I can't get out of, but… hmm, that will do nicely," she mused. Turning back to the underling she ordered, "Have a transport ship ready for me to depart by tomorrow afternoon. I need the memory recall device on board. And I want the latest intel about Quetesh by tomorrow morning."

"It will be done, My Lady," replied the messenger as he bowed deeply.

-

_On The Larger Moon of Bryx…_

"And it even has a force field to keep out unwanted visitors. Or to keep wanted visitors," said Vala, who was giving Daniel and Cynthia the tour of her new base of operations. "So don't think about escaping."

"Nothing could be further from our minds," Daniel replied.

"Funny. Don't worry, I'll let you both go, once we've uncovered a nice stash of Ancient treasure. I might even let you keep a bit."

"Did I mention that I don't know where any is? If I knew where it was, I would have already found it myself."

"I'm sure you mentioned that. Several times. But I have it on good authority that _this_," she held up a short orange crystal, "should tell us what we need to know." She inserted it into a slot in the wall, and the lights darkened.

"Was that meant to happen?" Cynthia wondered aloud.

"Yes. I hope." A 3D projector chose that moment to switch on, displaying a block of Ancient text in the centre of the room. "There you go."

"Cool. Did you rent any movies?" Cynthia asked.

"Any what?"

"A form of entertainment on Earth. Recordings of people acting out a story," Cynthia explained.

"Like a theatre?"

"Yes, but much better. It looks much more convincing, good enough to make you forget that what you're watching isn't real."

"Fascinating, but not very helpful. Daniel? Daniel?"

Daniel had been lost in translation. Literally. "Uh, yeah, this could take a while."

Cynthia watched for a minute, but grew bored. "What can I do? I think I might be able to increase the strength of your shield by forty percent without using any more power."

"Nice try, but I'm not letting you mess around with the shields and escaping. The machine which cleans the dishes, on the other hand…"

"You've got a broken dishwasher? Perfect!" It was exactly what she needed to distract herself from the mess they'd landed in.

"And the shield has an independent power supply, if you're trying to overload it."

"Never even crossed my mind," the teen lied.

-

Author's Note: Did I scare you with the chapter title? :P


	23. Seeking Treasures

Chapter 23 – Seeking Treasures

"Well, does it tell us where the treasure is?" Vala asked impatiently.

"As a matter of fact, it does," Daniel replied in his scholarly voice. "And quite a sizable one. 'All manner of precious metals and rare stones, gathered from a hundred worlds'," he quoted.

"Ooooh! Where is it?" she asked eagerly.

"I've found the coordinates, but I'm not giving them to you just yet?"

"What, do you think you can bargain with me?"

"No, there's a complicated set of instructions that you need to follow in order to safely retrieve the treasure. Since there's no chance of Cynthia and I getting out of here unless you return with the treasure, I want to be absolutely certain the instructions are correct before you go running off to find it."

Vala signed dramatically. "Fair enough, but don't waste any time. I'm going to see if the dishwasher is at all functional yet."

"It is!" Cynthia called from the kitchen. "At least, if you want to make toast. I'm having a spot of trouble with the water part of it."

"You don't have to fix it," Vala allowed. "You could was the all the dishes instead. From here, that looks to be much easier."

Cynthia didn't answer, except to mutter something derogatory about aliens who didn't have the sense to use Philips-head screws.

-

"There, it's all finished and double-checked, including the address," Daniel announced.

"Give me that." Vala snatched the paper away from her translator. "Hmm, this will take a few days, but it's certainly possible to complete on my own. The sooner, the better. There should be enough food to keep you two alive while I'm gone," she said cheerily. "And keep in mind that there's a secondary shield protecting the primary shield controls and power source, which is of course itself protected by the primary shield, so you have no chance of leaving unless you have a control device like mine and the right codes, which happen to be a few thousands symbols long. I hope you don't get bored. And you'd better hope I find the treasure. You don't want me to come back grumpy."

"I'm sure you're quite capable of following my instructions," said Daniel a little condescendingly, as if to imply the possibility of the opposite.

"Hmph. Remember that I might let you keep something if I feel generous." She winked and departed for the hangar where she had parked the transport ship. Cynthia and Daniel watched on the facility's long range scanner as the ship floated above the moon and jumped into hyperspace.

"Well, it's just us," Cynthia remarked. "Let's hope the treasure is enough to make her let us go."

"I don't suppose you can find a way to get us out of here before she gets back?" Daniel hoped.

"Impatient, are you?" the teen teased. "She _is_ rather annoying."

Daniel nodded. "I'd rather be gone by the time she realises there isn't any treasure on the planet I sent her to."

Cynthia's eyes widened. "You tricked her?"

"Do you really think I'd let her find a planet full of Ancient wealth?"

"Uh, no, not really. So, you plan to break out of here, grab the treasure ourselves, and take it back to the SGC?"

"Actually… there isn't any treasure. At least, none mentioned on the crystal."

"You made the whole thing up? What does it really say?"

"It describes some of the earlier history of the Ancients, as far as I can tell. Very fascinating, but I think we should focus on getting out of here. Got any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I've poked around in the dishwasher's power systems enough to rig up an adapter to run my laptop," Cynthia explained.

"And you can use that to hack into the shield controls?"

"No, I'm not sure if I could, and even if I could access them, it would take far too long to break the security code. If it's as long as Vala said, it could take decades."

"Can't you find a way around the security code? What does Sam call it… a back door?"

"No idea. This is a completely alien system – no pun intended. But it doesn't matter, I've got another way." She reached into her laptop bag and retrieved the vial she'd stored there.

"A vial of black goo?"

"A vial with wires attached, containing black goo," Cynthia corrected. "Also known as out ticket out of here. Oh, and also known as replicator cells."

Daniel did not take this very well. "You… you… are you _crazy_?"

"I'm not crazy about that woman coming back while we're still here. If I can program the cells to pass through the shield and disable the power, we can get out of here."

"Those things aren't _alive_, are they?" Daniel worried.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing."

"Your parents aren't going to be very happy about this."

Cynthia shrugged. "You can explain that to them after you tell them that I'm the one who found a way to escape."

"How long is this going to take? An hour?"

The teen shook her head. "Several. I never said it would be easy."

"Fine, take you're time. I'll find something to eat and work on this translation a little more."

-

_The next morning on Earth…_

Ivan Sage slowly awoke, wondering where he was. He gradually remembered the crazy events of the past few days. Images tried to enter his mind – glimpses of the past and of possible futures – but he kept them out, not wanting to allow his headache to re-establish itself. Instead, he searched for something else to focus on, such as why he did not feel as alone as he ought. "Leah?"

"Hmm?" she responded sleepily.

"Explain."

"Oh. I've noticed you sleep better when I'm near you, like on the bus."

"So you slept here?"

"After I sung you to sleep, I was worried leaving right away would wake you, and then I fell asleep myself. Sorry 'bout that."

"Oh. I think it worked. I feel a lot better than I have lately."

"Great. Uh, I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Yeah, sure, no problem. I think I'll… see what's on TV. To make sure the rest of the world didn't destroy itself while we were sleeping."

"Good idea." She hurried for the door.

"Leah, wait," Ivan called.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For helping me sleep."

"You're welcome. I'll, uh, see you when I'm done."

"Could ya save some hot water for me?"

"I'll see what I can do."

-

Elsewhere, Ivan's adoptive sister awoke. It could not be described as much of an awakening. Beyond becoming conscious of her own thoughts, the feel of restraints and the air around her, little changed. No, there was something else: a noticeable taste of blood. She must have bit her tongue at some point.

Wondering where she was and what was around her, Cassie began to apply the deep meditation techniques she'd learned from her Jaffa 'uncle'. She quickly learned that a major component of the constraints was some sort of superconductor. Everything else was obscured by the frightening sensation of power being sucked out of her body, accompanied by significant pain. In other words, trying to use her ability in her current position was a _very_ bad idea.

The young woman groaned, and waited for something to change. As she waited, she though of all the people who she knew would be trying to find her- the people she loved. And she planned.

-

_A few hours later…_

"How's it going, Carter?" General O'Neill asked over the subspace communicator.

"Lieutenant Hailey is taking a turn in the chair today," Sam answered. "We're pretty busy facilitating the cleanup operation in Svarog's territory, as well as some of Bastet's remaining holdings. We need to make sure we don't miss any minor Goa'ulds, and that the human populations will be able to survive on their own, and that no surviving loyal Jaffa show up later for revenge. Some of the planets will need further babysitting. A few Tok'ra operatives have shown up, so we've recruited their help. However, we haven't let them contact the rest of their kind yet."

"I've got the okay from the president to let them know now," Jack informed.

"That's good to hear, Sir. Some of the operatives are getting rather…"

"Antsy?"

"That fits. Is there any news of our missing persons yet?"

"Sorry, nothing yet. Prometheus has been scanning for her, but nothing's showed up yet."

"I knew it was a long shot. They may have anticipated us and shielded her. Or she simply might not be using her powers detectably at the moment. Or…" Or they had taken her off-world, but Sam couldn't vocalise that thought.

"We'll get her back. Also, we've been grilling those two aliens – Jup and Tenat – and they gave us a couple of possible places Cynthia and Daniel may have been taken. A couple of teams are about to check them out."

"Perhaps the Tok'ra will know something, since the woman who took them is an ex-host," Sam suggested.

"You're right, we forgot to mention that detail. I'll run that by them, and I'll see if I can find out when your dad will be finished with the 'final mission' they needed him for."

"Thanks, Jack. Oh, there's another issue I need to tell you about. Teal'c was called away to an urgent meeting of the Free Jaffa. He said they are worried about the number loyal Jaffa prisoners who won't be turned against the Goa'uld. They need some way of proving that the Jaffa can be free."

"I'm sure they'll think of something. I just hope it's nothing too crazy. From what I've seen of Bra'tac… let's hope they drop us a line before doing anything."

"You're right, but I'm sure Teal'c will remember to keep us updated. Speaking of updates, how is the SGC faring, in public opinion?" she inquired.

"It's not looking so good now. Some new organisation calling itself Creating A Kinder Earth – yes, that spells CAKE, of all things – is lobbying for control of the gate. International civilian control, in their own facility. They say they'll allow military use when they deem necessary, but I expect they're just saying that so no one worries too much. They're gaining rapid popularity."

"Do you think they're a front?" Sam wondered.

"I'm not sure. It's certainly possible. One thing's for sure: I'm not letting anyone take me or the gate out of this mountain without a fight."

"I know. I trust you'll be waiting for me in the gate room when this assignment ends."

"I'll be there."

"How's Janet coping?" Sam asked, worried about her friend.

"She's cooking up a storm."

"Cooking?"

"More like brewing," Jack vaguely corrected.

"Her improved symbiote poison?"

"Yep. She says it will be useful for your mission and for taking out the Trust, but…"

"But? What is it, Jack?"

Jack sighed heavily. "I think she believes he may need to use it on Cassie."

-

"Still at it?" Daniel asked the young genius.

"I'm getting there…" Cynthia replied absently.

"Didn't you pass the second shield two hours ago?"

"Yeah, but getting the Replicator mass to the generator wasn't easy."

"But you _have_ reached it, right?"

"Yes." The teen didn't look up, as she was concentrating on her rapid typing.

"But you haven't deactivated anything yet."

"No. I had to figure out how to get the Replicators to do something besides move and penetrate a shield, and I was under the impression that you wanted me to avoid detonating the generator."

"Okay, feel free to go ahead and avoid that," Daniel quickly allowed. "I'll just go over there where I won't distract you into blowing us to…"

"There! The shield should be off. What were you saying?"

"Never mind. Let's get out of here."

Cynthia packed up her laptop as quickly as she could. "What do we do next? There isn't a Stargate on this planet and I don't have time to build one. We can't flap our arms and fly home, and it's a bit far to walk through empty space."

"True, but there are plenty of other people with ships on this planet."

"We borrow one?"

"That's the plan."

"Great. After you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're the one with the experience," Cynthia reminded Daniel. "And I need to get my Replicator cells back."

"Right, you head to the generator, and I'll scout around for likely ships. I'll meet you back here in ten," Daniel decided.

"Ten minutes. Understood." Cynthia quickly set out in the direction of the control room which housed the generator. She succeeded in not getting lost and soon found the now solid ball of neutronium cells which she returned to the vial.

"Very interesting. What is it?"

"Ahh!" Cynthia whirled around to face the unexpected voice. "Where did you come from?"

"Earth," the woman replied.

Cynthia noted the newcomer's spotless business suit and tidy shoulder-length blonde hair. "I meant how did you get here," she clarified.

"I was transported from a ship in orbit. I should thank you for shutting down the shields. It saved me considerable time and effort."

"Uh… who are you?"

"I apologise for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Charlotte Mayfield. I believe you are Cynthia Sanders, 'guest' of Vala Mal Doran."

"That's right. Are you here to rescue me?" Cynthia asked uncertainly.

"I'm actually here to speak to Vala, but it appears that she isn't here. Do you know where she is?"

Somehow, Cynthia didn't trust this woman. "She has gone to trade on another planet. She wouldn't tell us where."

"Us? Yes, Doctor Jackson must be nearby," Miss Mayfield remembered, falling for Cynthia's intentional distraction.

"He's looking for a ship to get us home. Now that you're here, perhaps he won't need it?" the teen said questioningly.

"I'd be glad to give both of you a ride. But first, I'm very curious about how you cut the power from the generator."

"And I'm very curious about how you came to have a ship, and why you are looking for Vala," Cynthia countered.

"I am willing to explain. After you."

"Frankly, it's none of your business."

"Then if I had to hazard a guess, I would say you have part of a human-form Replicator. You were controlling it somehow. I suppose you have a subspace communication device attached to the laptop you have with you. I can see from your face that I'm right."

"I'm not saying," Cynthia stubbornly replied.

"You don't have to."

"What do you want with Vala?"

"I had wanted some information from her, but I don't think I'll need it now," Mayfield answered lightly.

"What kind of information?"

"I need her knowledge about a treasure. Knowledge she kept from me when we once worked together."

"You worked with Vala?"

"_No, I worked with Quetesh,"_ Athena corrected, emphasising the 'I' with a flash of her eyes.

-

Author's note: out of the frying pan, into the fire!


	24. Torture, Whumpage, And Death, Oh My!

Chapter 24 – Torture, Whumpage, and Death, Oh My!

Warning: please notice the title and the rating.

-

"You're a..." Cynthia exclaimed breathlessly. "Gould!"

_"Yes. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Cynthia."_

"Finally? You know about me?" This scared the teen almost as much as meeting a Goa'uld.

_"Of course. I consider myself a... customer. Your designs were instrumental in my plan to secretly construct a stargate on Earth."_

"Your plan? I thought that was Ba'al."

"_True, it was his invasion, but I was the one who prepared his way."_

"You! You're responsible for my kidnapping!" Cynthia realised.

Athena smiled, glad to be acknowledged for her deeds. _"Correct. And since Vala is unavailable, it appears I will need you and your technology again."_

In other words, Cynthia was about to be kidnapped again. "Sorry, not interested." She immediately began to flee. As she left the room, a beam of white light washed over her. She found herself tripping over Daniel and crashing into an unfamiliar wall. "Drat, I got beamed again," she muttered as she gingerly picked herself up and check that her laptop was unharmed.

"Cynthia? Why are you… where are we?" asked a befuddled Daniel Jackson.

"I think we were transported onto a ship above the planet – moon, I mean – and I don't think it's an Earth ship."

"No, this is a small Goa'uld ship. And it isn't Vala's," Daniel quickly realised.

"No, it belongs to 'Charlotte Mayfield', the Goa'uld who opened the door for Ba'al's invasion. More like 'built the door' actually. She wanted some treasure she says Vala knows about, but I think she decided to settle for my Replicator cells instead."

"That isn't good."

"No. Actually, it's very very bad. If a Goa'uld had control of Replicators… well, each of them are quite dangerous on their own. Combining the two…"

"I know. I've dealt with the Goa'uld and the Replicators a lot more than you have," Daniel pointed out. "Promise me that you won't tell her anything."

"Why would I do that, Daniel? I'm not stupid."

"Goa'uld can be very persuasive. I'm afraid you might be tortured. Or taken as a host, in which case there's nothing you can do about it."

"You're not helping," Cynthia complained.

"Can you destroy them? Make sure that no one can ever use them again? And you ought to erase your laptop too. It must have information about everything you've ever designed, right?"

"Yeah, but erasing it wouldn't help if I got… taken over. We need to escape before that happens. What is this place anyway?"

"We're locked in a holding cell," Daniel explained. "Escape would be good."

"Too bad I can't use the Replicator cells to cut our way out," Cynthia lamented.

"Why can't you?"

"Our captor is probably watching us with some kind of security camera, so she can read all my passwords. As soon as I activate them, guards will show up and take my laptop away. There's guards somewhere, right?"

"Probably Jaffa."

"So as clever as it might sound, the last thing we want to do is use the Replicators where we might be seen," Cynthia concluded.

The door swished open, and Mayfield stood there, flanked by two staff-bearing Jaffa. _"Right again, my dear. Fortunately for me, I have alternate plans. No matter how clever you are, I will acquire the means to manipulate Replicators. It could be very painful and distressing, so I recommend you tell me what I need to know now."_

"I don't care what you say. I'm never gonna give it up!"

"_I'm certain you will change your mind."_

"You should at least tell me your name first," the teen demanded.

"_But of course. I am Athena."_

"I've never heard of you before. Not a System Lord, I figure," Daniel supposed.

"_No, I am far more than a System Lord."_

Daniel tried not to roll his eyes. "Really? What have you done to deserve that distinction?"

"_I have taken over Ba'al's territory. To do this, I first defeated Anubis."_

"Anubis? No, don't tell me he's at large already." Daniel was very annoyed at this news. Anubis had been hard to get rid of the first two times, and the tricks with the asteroid and the exploding stargate had _not_ been fun. While the Replicator copy of Sam had mentioned Ba'al working for Anubis, she had lied about so many things that they couldn't afford to jump to conclusions. Now, her words had been confirmed.

"_Do not concern yourself with Anubis. He fled before me like sand before the ocean waves. The Kull Warriors surrounding him were easily dealt with – I destroyed them singlehandedly. I hear you are partly responsible for making this possible._ She fired a short blue pulse from her hand device, demonstrating how she had integrated the Kull disruptor weapon into it.

Now there was a mission Daniel didn't want to remember. Sometimes the cruelty of humans could rival that of the Goa'uld. "That means you're merely good at stealing other people's toys," he accused.

"_I prefer to see it as most effectively applying the tools at hand. I just have longer __'hands' than most."_

"You don't even have hands, apart from those you've stolen," Daniel replied bitterly.

"_Narrow-minded human. But none of this is of any consequence. Jaffa, bring the girl and relieve her of her bag. Doctor Jackson can stay in confinement until I have use of him."_

Cynthia tried to struggle, but she could not fight two Jaffa, especially not while holding a laptop computer. It was soon snatched away, and she was forced away from Daniel and into another room. She watched as Athena set up the laptop on a desk, and plugged the A/C adaptor into a convenient power strip. "That's definitely not Goa'uld technology," she commented.

"No. I have found it convenient to be able to power Earth devices when on a ship," Athena explained, returning to a regular human voice.

"Could you lend me a hairdryer?"

"If you cooperate, I might."

"I'll pass, thanks."

"_Very well."_ Athena indicated a chair equipped with manacles. "Restrain her." The Jaffa manhandled the teen into the chair and secured her limbs in position. "Excellent." She took out a small disk and brought it up to the side of Cynthia's forehead. "This will hurt for a moment." She pressed it hard, causing a sharp pain and an audible buzz.

"Oww, what _is_ that?" Cynthia demanded.

"Just a harmless memory-recall device. I'll ask the questions, and your memories will be displayed on the screen. How does that sound?"

"I'll never give in!" the young genius declared.

"I shall try it on the lowest setting, starting with a simple question to help you relax. Who are your parents?"

Cynthia let the device do its job, taking careful note of the tingling sensation as the machine found relevant memories and displayed them in her mind's eye as well as on the screen. At first, flashes of Mrs and Mr Sanders appeared, followed by her first meeting with Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill at her parents' funeral, and then more moments of the short time she'd known her biological parents.

"Ah yes, your parents. I was quite surprised when I heard who they are. For a while I thought it was a ruse by the SGC so they could use you, but it turned out that it was true."

"No one uses me," Cynthia warned.

"We'll see about that. What are the Replicators capable of?" She looked on in interest at the actions of RepliCarter and the method Cynthia had used to disable her. "I had read that the human-form Replicators are able to enter the minds of organic beings by touching them, but I had doubted until now." She increased the power of the recall device and another memory appeared: Cynthia working on a program designed to allow a mass of Replicator cells to connect to a human brain and _receive_ orders. "A most useful application. I believe I will have you complete this code for me."

"No."

"Perhaps later. For now, I wish to have access to the contents of your computer. What is the password?"

Cynthia resisted. The view screen flickered with static and random images.

Athena turned the power up two more levels. "What is the password to access your laptop computer?"

The girl struggled against the mind-probe and the static slowly cleared, turning a deep blue hue. White text gradually resolved: 'A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer…'

Athena appeared to find this amusing, though her chance of voice indicated that she was somewhat perturbed. _"A clever attempt, but futile."_ She turned the power level up higher, causing Cynthia's facial muscles to clench in pain. "You desperately need to use your laptop computer. It asks for the password. You enter the password," Athena lead, trying to stimulate the memory less directly.

The screen flashed to white, and then cut off altogether. An unpleasant burnt smell emanated from it. _"Inconceivable! No human mind could possibly…"_ Athena realised her mistake. _"Of course, you are genetically related to the Ancients."_ She looked at her prisoner with disapproval.

Cynthia stared back with a look of pained triumph.

"If that is how you want to do things, I will return to more traditional methods," Athena said cruelly as she stepped closer and raised her hand. The jewel in her palm glowed brightly as she positioned the ribbon device in the optimum location. _"The password."_

"No," Cynthia replied coldly. The resulting burning pain which bored into her skull would have caused her to scream, if she'd been able.

"_Tell me."_

"Never," Cynthia answered, with all the defiance she could muster. She was hit with the wave of pain again, and wondered if her head was bursting.

"I can end all your pain. Simply tell me the password," Athena spoke softly.

With all her remaining strength, Cynthia spat at the Goa'uld. Her head pulsed with white-hot pain which seemed to last forever as Athena's anger was channelled into her. Then the world turned dark and she knew no more.

Athena looked in disappointment at the lifeless body. "Pity."

-

"Even as they are destroyed, our brothers cling to false gods. They believe their gods will save them, and refuse to join the cause. They cannot see the truth that is right in front of them! We must find a way to prove that the Jaffa need no masters," Bra'tac stated.

"How can we do such a thing?" another Jaffa wondered.

"We must capture the temple at Dakara," Teal'c suggested.

All the others in the tent looked shocked. "Dakara?" Bra'tac wondered. "Is such a feat even possible?"

"If we are to prove that we deserve freedom, we must do this. It is the only way our brothers will believe," Teal'c argued.

"Madness. We cannot take Dakara. Is not Ba'al's fleet now controlled by another – Athena? Did she not overcome Anubis himself?"

"Aron is right. It would be a fruitless mission, resulting in the sacrifice of countless men and ships," another agreed.

"Do not the Tau'ri have a weapon that can defeat Anubis' drones? For a Goa'uld to copy or steal such a weapon means little," Teal'c argued. "And does not Kala intend to attack Athena?"

"I believe such a battle is imminent," Bra'tac agreed. "What do you suppose?"

"We wait until Athena is occupied with Kala. When the security around Dakara is at a minimum, then we strike. Surely we can succeed with the help of the Tau'ri. Have they not put down both Bastet and Svarog?"

"It is so, but we can not use them," disagreed Bra'tac. "We must show our brothers that we can do this alone, without bowing to any."

"No free Jaffa has ever set foot in the temple and lived."

"Indeed, Tolok. That is precisely why we must do this. Many will join our cause when we succeed," Teal'c proclaimed. "Master Bra'tac, while we may not rely on the Tau'ri, would it not be wise to have them standing nearby? It would be foolish not to have their strength available if we are in need of reinforcements."

"You speak well, Teal'c. That would be acceptable. I have learned from SG-1 to always search for a plan that does not involve the throwing away of one's life. However, even if we escape with our lives, failure would be a disaster for the rebellion."

"Then why try?" Aron wondered.

"We must act now, or our brothers will never recognise their true strength in freedom. If we do nothing, even if the System Lords all fall, the majority of the Jaffa will remain in the mindset of slaves. They will simply look to a new master. We can only rebel against the Goa'uld while there are still Goa'uld left to rebel against."

"There is wisdom in your words, Teal'c, but as Bra'tac has pointed out, failure would mean the end of the rebellion. Jaffa spirit would be crushed. Are you prepared to risk our entire cause on this one action?"

"Indeed I am," Teal'c answered firmly.

"So. What say you?" Bra'tac asked.

"I say we begin planning to take Dakara," Tolok declared.

Aron nodded. "So be it."

-

A cold white light. A sense of existence. I think, therefore I am. But where was this? What was this?

The sky above cracked open. The halves slid apart with a grinding sound. Cynthia reached up and curled her fingers around an edge. She pulled herself into a sitting position. Gold walls greeted her. She was still on the ship.

Athena also greeted her. _"I see you are awake."_

"I was asleep? I thought I was _dead_."

"_Yes, you were. I have graciously returned your life to you."_

"Why?" Somehow this seemed to be a more relevant question than 'how'.

"_You cannot tell me what I want to know while you are dead,"_ Athena answered, wearing a feral smile.

"Oh. If I don't, will you torture and kill me again?"

"_Certainly not! Do I look like the person who would do such a thing to a child? More than once?"_ She found that rather funny. _"No, I have other ideas, and they do not involve harming you in the slightest. Jaffa, escort my guest to the cargo hold."_

"What's in the cargo hold?" Cynthia wondered as the warriors 'helped' her out of the sarcophagus.

"_Doctor Jackson. I decided to give him a change of scenery."_

"How… generous," the teen replied, guessing there was some nefarious purpose to this.

"_It is easy to clean in case I spill anything. Such as Doctor Jackson. Ahh, here he is."_ Athena let the humans speak and watched in amusement.

"Daniel! Are you alright?"

"Apart from being hungry and tied up, I'm fine. What about you? I was afraid she would hurt you. Where have you been?"

"Uh… have you ever seen a long gold box, big enough for someone to lie down in?" Cynthia asked rhetorically.

"A sarcophagus. The Goa'uld use them to prolong their lives and heal injuries, even death. I've used them _way_ too many times. I guess that means there's one on board."

"Yeah, there is. Do all the Goa'uld wear those things on their hands?"

"A lot of them do. They're really painful and I say that from too much experience as well."

"Have you ever been killed by one?" she wondered.

"Not quite," Daniel admitted.

"Then I've done something you haven't," she revealed.

"You mean… Cynthia! Aw man, Jack's gonna _kill_ me for this!"

"I won't tell if you don't."

"_Enough nonsense. Miss Sanders, I will ask you for the password. Every time you refuse to tell me, my Jaffa will throw one knife at Doctor Jackson. Do not expect them to miss. Once you tell me, we will cease throwing knives, and you will complete the program I requested earlier. When I am satisfied, I will place Doctor Jackson in the sarcophagus to heal his wounds, and return you both to Earth. Are there any questions before we begin?"_

"May I throw the knives?"

"_I shall ignore that question. Tell me the password."_

"Don't tell her!" Daniel instructed.

"_Silence, or I will gag you! Girl, tell me the password."_

Cynthia said nothing.

"_Tell me!"_

She remained silence.

"_Do you think that silence will save your friend? Jaffa!"_

Daniel groaned as a knife hit his arm.

"Hey, I haven't refused yet! And you haven't actually asked!" Cynthia protested.

"_Then let us suppose that my demands are requests, and your silence is a refusal. Tell me the password. Tell me. The password! You will tell me!"_ Between each sentence, she motioned to the Jaffa with the knives, and Daniel screamed as another part of his anatomy received a blade. _"Do you really want to be responsible for your friend's death?_ She took a knife and stood close to her human pincushion. _"Shall I take off an ear? A finger? A toe?" _she threatened, slashing the archaeologist with the sharp edge.

Cynthia couldn't stand it any longer. "Okay, I'll do what you want! Just don't hurt him any more!"

-

With a final keystroke, Cynthia completed the program. "There, it's finished. Now heal Daniel before he bleeds to death!"

"All in good time. First, I'd like you to change lines 612, 1134, and 2157," Athena instructed with mock pleasantness.

"What is special about those lines?"

"Do you really think I haven't been paying close attention? Those are the hidden instructions to kill me. Clever, but not clever enough."

"Fine. I'll fix it. Spoilsport," Cynthia muttered. After another minute, she was done. "There. Happy now?"

"_Very."_

"Good, because Daniel doesn't have much blood left to give," Cynthia warned.

"_Very well. I shall take care of Doctor Jackson."_ Athena reached for another knife and, with a lightning-fast motion, sliced Daniel across the neck.

"What are you doing! You said you'd stop hurting him!"

"_I said we would cease throwing knives. You are not the only one who can be particular about definitions."_

"You also said you would put him in the sarcophagus."

"_Yes," _Athena answered as Daniel's lifeblood flowed out._ "But after you attempted to kill me, I have a much better plan."_ She pressed a button on her wrist, and a low whirring sound began. Rings flew out of the floor and around Daniel. A bright light flashed through them, and Daniel vanished. _"It is certainly easy to get rid of garbage from the cargo hold,"_ she declared wickedly. _"Jaffa, set a course for the Tezo'g Station and initiate hyper-launch. It is time for us to move."_ She picked up the laptop and left the hold.

Cynthia stared in wordless shock at the place where Daniel had been.

Outside the ship, Daniel tried to breathe his last, but found there was no air to breathe.

-

Author's Note: flees


	25. Operation ‘This Should Be Easy’

Chapter 25 – Operation 'This Should Be Easy'

"You... you killed him!" Cynthia yelled. "How could you do that, you... you monster!?"

_"I don't need him. I know SG-1 has a history of escaping, so I removed him before he became troublesome,"_ Athena explained coldly.

"You can't make me help you now," Cynthia warned.

_"Actually, I can. Surely the threat of one of my children po__ssessing your body is enough to make you co-operate. If not, I don't need your co-operation."_

"Oh. Since you put it that way... I guess I could help."

"I doubt I will need your help. For that reason, I am leaving you on a remote space station until I have a use for you. There is no available method for escape."

"A space station?"

_"It is in the void between stars, off any common travel routes. There are basic amenities and food supplies. There are no spacecraft or parts to build one. And you won't be able to build and power your own Stargate, so don't waste your time in a futile attempt. Also, I will not return if the Replicators do not function correctly. Is there anything you need to tell me before I abandon you?"_

"No, it's perfectly safe," Cynthia promised.

_"I thought so, but I had to be certain before taking the risk."_

"Does that mean you aren't really leaving me on a space station in the middle of nowhere?"

_"We arrive within the hour."_

"Oh. Drat."

-

_Two days later..._

General Jack O'Neill was not having a good week. So many people he cared about were missing, Sam was still assigned to the Alpha Site, several unfriendly nations were making threats in favour of giving the Stargate to those creepy CAKE people, and Doctor Frasier had become downright dangerous. God help any Goa'uld or Trust agent who she met in her current mood.

All this was piled on top of the usual chore of running the SGC. This job was made more onerous by the increased public scrutiny caused by full disclosure. At least he wasn't giving guided tours to school kids. Yet. Not that he didn't like kids - he loved kids - but they had no business in such a dangerous place. Neither did the half-dozen reporters the President had unwisely allowed limited access to the base.

At least the vultures had some security restrictions placed on them. Jack took great pleasure in allowing them to film the gate opening and then quickly finding a security reason why the footage had to be destroyed. He'd dashed their hopes five times now. It was one of the few things keeping him sane, he figured.

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

That would be number six. He left his chair as quickly as his knees allowed and joined the technicians in the control room. "What have we got?"

"Receiving Master Bra'tac's IDC."

"Open 'er up," Jack ordered. He waited for the 'old man' to step through. "Welcome to Earth, Master Bra'tac," he called down.

"O'Neill, I bring good news. Athena has begun her assault on Kali the Destroyer, leaving Dakara almost unguarded. It is time to strike," Bra'tac announced from the ramp.

"Strike away," Jack agreed. I'll have Carter keep in touch with Teal'c. Also I'm authorised to have three teams on standby if you need to call in some extra ground support."

"I will keep this in mind," Bra'tac replied. Not quite a 'thank you', but close enough.

"Alright. I'll open your highway home. And a word to all you reporters: since this visit involves an ongoing military operation, you are required to erase all record of it, and are bound to repeat nothing regarding it. Understand?"

"But you've made us erase every single activation! This is the eighth time you've told us that," one of the cameramen protested.

"That many? Fine, you can have up to 'I bring good news', but not a syllable more. We don't want to tip off the Goa'uld about any plans of attack we may or may not have, understand? If a word of this gets out, I'll personally see to it that the lot of you are delivered to a planet where you can learn first hand what the snakes do to make people talk when they don't have civilians blabbing vital intel. Understand?"

The camera-bearing invaders nodded warily.

-

A few hours later, a collection of brilliant flashes of light announced the arrival of the Free Jaffa fleet around Dakara. Immediately the few Ha'taks guarding the planet moved to respond, but they were overwhelmed in due course. After one was blown to pieces, the remaining pair surrendered. Having gained air superiority, it was fairly straightforward matter to storm the remaining ground resistance and secure the temple.

Many of the warriors desired to celebrate their victory, but Master Bra'tac wisely warned that it would be a much greater challenge to keep Dakara than it was to take it. His speech sufficiently motivated the Jaffa Army to prepare for the return of Athena's fleet – or however much of it survived the altercation with Kali. Snakeskinner remained available under the control of Carter and Hailey, serving as a lookout for approaching ships and standing by in case extra force was needed for defence.

Unfortunately, the sensors failed to notice an Al'kesh, which popped out of hyperspace over the temple. It had come from quite a different direction to Kali's territory, which helped to explain why it had not been anticipated. Immediately, all ships within range began to fire on it. Its shields flared with the massive influx of energy. For a few long seconds the barrier held, but the onslaught was too great for any lasting benefit, and the ship burst into a brilliant fireball.

The destruction came far too late, however. The temple had already become over-crowded by the addition of a sizable squad of Kull Warriors. They had been beamed off the ship as soon as it was in range of the temple. The black-armoured beings quickly formed ranks to drive the Jaffa back from the wall. The two groups traded staff and wrist-blaster fire, but the latter was far more effective, due to the energy-absorbent armour the super-soldiers wore. A lucky few Jaffa – including Teal'c – were equipped with disruptor weapons capable of slaying Anubis' monstrosities, but they only made a small impact compared to the rapid blaster fire directed at them. It was difficult just to stay alive.

"What's going on down there?" asked Sam, her message being relayed via subspace to Snakeskinner and then to Teal'c's radio.

Teal'c crouched behind a column and fired upon an exposed warrior. The blue energy bolt hit the creature's armour, and it dropped dead. "ColonelCarter, we are under attack from Anubis's drones. I believe we require assistance," he answered.

"I'll do what I can, Teal'c. Keep me posted."

Behind the line of warriors stood a lone figure, cloaked in dark robes. He studied the symbols on the wall and began to rotate certain sections. Moments later, the ground began to tremble. The wall slowly raised, and the rocks behind it split open. As Anubis stepped into the newly-revealed chamber, a dozen large metal objects impacted on the planet's surface. Each split into several battle-ready Replicator 'bugs'. They skittered up the temple steps and surged into the jumbled Jaffa ranks. Some tried to form a wall to protect the losing Jaffa, while others leaped at the drones.

Two drones collapsed under a pile of Replicators. For a moment, some of the watching Jaffa became optimistic. This lasted until several of the Kull Warriors reached for weapons slung on their backs. Projectile weapons. A hail of bullets tore into the mass of Replicators, freeing the super-soldiers underneath. The situation went downhill from then on.

"ColonelCarter, the Replicators are only peripherally effective," Teal'c reported

"That's 'marginally', Teal'c," Sam automatically corrected. "Who's the guy with the cloak?"

"I believe it to be Anubis."

"And is that…?"

"An Ancient control panel similar to that which manipulated the time machine," Teal'c finished.

"That's what I thought, but I can't get good image quality out of the Replicator vision. Do you have any idea what he is doing?"

"It is not safe to venture close," Teal'c understated. It was far from safe to remain where he was, let alone closer to the action. There were many hazards, including not limited to being knocked down by a springing Replicator, trampled by a heavy Jaffa or drone, and being hit by energy burst from either side, or bullets. "However, I suggest that it would be unwise to allow Anubis to complete whatever he plans."

"I'll try sending in a larger wave of Replicators."

"I will rally my brothers. With the correct timing, we may be able to pass the blockade."

Bolstered by extra mechanical help, the Jaffa fought fiercely. With furious force, they drove the Kull Warriors back to the entrance of the secret chamber. Sam had found a way to sacrifice some of the Replicators' speed for increased cohesion, but the drones' weapons still chewed through them too quickly. Replicator blocks littered the floor, and the air reeked of scorched Jaffa. Executing a mad rush, a score of brave warriors pushed their way into the chamber, but they fell before they could reach Anubis.

"Teal'c? Teal'c, what's happening?" Sam called frantically. She received no response, and quickly switched to the subspace link to Earth, where the general waited for an update. "Sir, I've lost contact with Teal'c!"

"Can you see what's going on?" Jack asked.

"Most of the Jaffa in the temple are down, and there are three super-solders mowing down the ones outside the temple. I don't know what Anubis is doing. No, there's a massive build-up of energy at the top of the temple mount!"

"Energy? I take it that's a bad thing?"

"It might be some kind of weapon," Sam figured.

"Can you disable it?"

"I'll see what I can… No!"

"You can't?"

"Jack, this is… horrific! A wave of energy, disintegrating everything it hits. Jaffa, drones, even Replicators. Gone."

"Disintegrated, or transported?" Jack queried.

"From what I could see, the clothes and armour were left behind. And the Replicators simply fell apart. It must disrupt the bonds between the components of organic and mechanical creatures. Perhaps I can… Damnit!"

"What happened?"

"Snakeskinner. The wave reached it. It's gone."

"You can make another one, right?"

"Given an hour or so, yes, but for now we've lost contact with the planet," Sam reported.

"What's the point of a weapon that wipes out all life on a single planet?" Jack wondered. "And isn't activating it a bit… suicidal?"

"I assume the control room is shielded."

"Ah. So Anubis is still in there."

"I expect so, Sir. And if…"

"If? Carter?"

"If the Dakara stargate was connected to another planet, the wave would pass through. From the energy readings I recorded, it would be strong enough to cover that planet as well."

"Would the iris keep it off Earth?"

"I'm fairly certain it wouldn't, Sir."

"Then we need to destroy the weapon ASAP," Jack concluded.

"I agree. The only way to be certain of its destruction would be to detonate a nuclear bomb inside the temple itself. And there's probably at least a few of Anubis' drones left, so whoever goes will need plenty of Nullifiers," Sam suggested.

"Agreed. I'll update you when we're ready to… Uh oh!"

"Jack?"

"Unscheduled incoming wormhole. It could be Anubis!"

"It probably is," Sam agreed. "I assume you can't shut down the 'gate'?"

"Walter's trying. Nothing's working. It never does. And the dialling computer confirms that the wormhole is originating from Dakara. We'll have to use the self-destruct," Jack decided with a heavy heart. "It's the only way to save Earth."

"There's only a slight chance that will close the wormhole, Sir."

"Carter! We have to try!"

Sam heard Jack giving the order to start a one minute countdown, and frantically searched her mind for any way to disable the weapon or close the wormhole, or even block the energy wave. There simply wasn't enough time to do anything. Cynthia probably had a way to forcibly close a wormhole, but the girl was still missing. "Goodbye Jack. I love you," she said, knowing they had little time left.

"Backatya, Sam. And when you find our daughter, tell her I love her too."

-

Note: and that's the perfect place for a chapter break!


	26. Countdown to Zero

Disclaimer: Just a reminder that I don't own Stargate SG-1 or any of the characters therein - I'm just borrowing them. (Though Cynthia, Leah, and Ivan are mine - not that they're in this chapter. Sorry!) And I definitely don't own Athena/Charlotte Mayfield - they're from canon!

Also, a bunch of this chapter (and previous) is based somewhat off Reckoning. And Threads. Though Pete is long gone - yay!

Anyhow, on with the story...

Chapter 26 – Countdown to Zero

As the countdown reached ten seconds, Jack realised he was holding his breath, and that it was a pointless action. As the last seconds flashed by, he wondered what the world would think when the SGC blew up. At least Sam was not on Earth. He deeply regretted leaving her and Cynthia, but the situation was beyond his control.

A bright light washed over him, and he knew the end had come.

-

_Meanwhile, on a distant planet..._

Deep in a tropical rainforest, Vala Mal Doran brushed beads of sweat from her face, plus scattered small leaves which had adhered to her face. This part of treasure hunting was rather unpleasant. She would take an arid desert over this muggy, mud-hole any day of the week.

She snatched the page of instructions from her pocket and re-read the relevant lines. The next landmark should turn up soon. Should. That didn't mean it would. So far, Daniel's instructions had served quite poorly. The planet must have changed significantly since the Ancients had buried their stash. Or else they were hopeless surveyors. Or had an inconvenient sense of humour. Or Daniel wasn't such a good translator. Or was leading her in circles around a plant he'd already explored. Listed in order of decreasing likelihood, of course.

She decided she needed a better look at her surroundings, so she scaled the nearest sturdy tree - not counting the one containing snakes. Pulling out her pair of electronic spectrally-selective variably-polarised binoculars (which she bought for a song, and a quick grab while the previous owner was distracted), Vala scanned the horizon and was pleased to spot an octagonal monument in roughly the right area. Pleased that it should be reachable before nightfall, she took a swig of juice - a fruit blend guaranteed to keep energy levels high - and clambered out of the tree.

She could practically smell the treasure now. Or that's what she made herself believe, to distract from the rotting vegetation. And the mud on her skin. And in her hair. And on her new jacket. "Focus, Vala, focus," she coached herself. "Treasure. Walk towards the treasure."

-

"O'Neill."

Jack cautiously opened his eyes. "Thor? Have I ever told you how excellent your timing is?"

Thor blinked. "I could not allow you to perish. Such a loss is unacceptable."

"Thanks, buddy."

"May I ask why you attempted to destroy Stargate Command?"

"Attempted? What did you..." Jack began to protest.

"I have none nothing, O'Neill. I am merely observing that no detonation has been detected."

"Thor! Beam me back down there now! Or at least put me in radio contact with the base."

"The latter is acceptable." Thor moved and rotated some control stones, and Jack found himself 'doing the hologram thing'.

"General O'Neill, sir! What's going on?"

"Thor," Jack explained simply. "What happened to the auto destruct, Walter?"

"It froze and reset, right after the stargate shut down, sir," Walter answered.

"The gate shut down?" Jack looked out the viewing window. "So it did," he agreed. "Odd. Maybe Anubis has lost his touch, or else it was a prank call."

"That doesn't explain the auto-destruct," Walter pointed out.

"No... something's going on, and I don't like it."

"I'm glad not to be dead, sir," Walter disagreed nervously.

"So am I, but the auto-destruct is supposed to be... auto. And it should destruct. Find out why it didn't, Walter."

"Yes sir," Walter answered the hologram of his commanding officer.

"Great, I'm done here, Thor." Jack waved his arms around until he was de-hologrammed. "Great. Where were we?"

"You were about to explain why you needed to activate the auto-destruct," reminded Thor.

"Ah, that. Anubis is doing the evil galactic domination thing again. He used a super-weapon on Dakara to wipe out everything on the planet, including a lot of the Free Jaffa. We thought he was about to use it against Earth, but he seems to have changed his mind."

Thor blinked. "I see."

"We were about to send a bomb to Dakara to neutralise the weapon. Perhaps you could give us a hand?"

"I can assist you in determining whether the planet is empty before you send your bomb," Thor offered.

"Good idea – we don't want to walk into a bunch of those drones, if any survived. Or, you could deliver the bomb for us."

"It would be best for the Asgard not to involve themselves as aggressors in this dispute. It would be a simple matter for a Tau'ri team to deliver the weapon once I have ensured the planet is save, would it not?"

"You're right, Thor, we can handle it. If you can send be back to Earth, you can check out Dakara while I organise the bomb. If you're not back by then, we'll activate the Stargate and you can radio a status," Jack suggested.

"That is a suitable plan," the grey alien agreed as he activated the control to send Jack back to Earth.

"Sir, there's no evidence of tampering with the auto-destruct," Walter reported, seemingly comfortable with seeing Jack vanish and reappear frequently.

"Keep looking, you might at least find out what method was used to stop it. I'll be right back, after I call the President about a nuke. For Dakara."

"Understood, sir."

-

_Later…_

"O'Neill, Dakara is now completely clear of life-forms," Thor reported by radio.

"Now? Was I right about Anubis' drones?" wondered Jack.

"Yes. Some survived in the central chamber, which was shielded from the effects of the device. However, they were acting in a manner indicating that they were leaderless."

"Leaderless?"

"They exhibited confusion lack of organisation in their behaviour," Thor clarified.

"Does that mean Anubis is gone?"

"That is most likely."

"Hmm, In that case I'll send through a team with the bomb."

"I suggest that you accompany them yourself. I will beam you aboard my ship so you can watch the detonation."

"Great idea, Thor. We'll be there in a minute." After making a few arrangements related to the running of the base, Jack accompanied the bomb-delivery team through the Stargate. It felt good to be off-world again, and to be blowing up a giant space-gun so no bad guys could use it against them. What didn't feel so good was the realisation that so many Free Jaffa had perished in this place. At least by destroying the weapon, he would gain some small measure of revenge for their deaths. For Teal'c and Bra'tac.

The bomb slowly wheeled its way into the temple, which was decorated with a thick layer of scorch marks, which in turn were partially covered by puddles of replicator blocks. A vicious struggle had been fought within these walls. Jack shook his head in regret. He should never have let himself be talked into allowing the Jaffa to attack this place on their own. If there had been Replicator reinforcements on the ground from the start, or a couple of SG teams with those super-solder-killing weapons, the outcome might have been very different. On the other hand, _something_ has stopped Anubis from destroying Earth, and also stopped the SGC from being levelled, so it wasn't as if the worst had happened. Yet."

An earnest voice roused him from his musings. "The bomb is ready for activation on your order, sir."

Jack nodded in recognition. "Thor, are you ready to pull us out once the weapon is active?" he radioed.

"I am, O'Neill."

"You're sure the transporter isn't going to fail as soon as we arm the bomb, forcing us to run for the gate?"

"That scenario will not occur."

"Alright then, arm the weapon, Airman."

The bomb made the appropriate beeping sound, and indicator lights changed colour.

"Ready when you are, Tho…" *flash* "…r. That was quick." Jack turned around to find a suitable window to watch from. Standing behind him, he saw someone who shouldn't have been there. Someone he thought was dead.

"You appear to be whacked in the gob, O'Neill."

"Teal'c!"

"It is I."

"Teal'c!!"

"Have you not anything to say, besides my name?"

"Uh… I'm just pleased to see you alive, buddy. And it's smacked. Gob-smacked, Teal'c."

"An apt description of your condition."

"Yeah… I figure you were in the shielded inner-room place?"

"Indeed. I led the charge of a group of my brothers into the control chamber, intending to stop Anubis. We were cut down by enemy fire, but some of us clung to life. Knowing that the Kull Warriors would dispatch any of us who moved, we adopted the manner of tree-dwelling marsupials."

"Umm… you played possum?"

"Indeed."

"And Thor found you and fixed you up?"

"It was not Thor who healed our wounds. I am uncertain of what transpired."

"Did you see where Anubis went?" Jack's watch beeped before he could hear a response. "Just a moment, we've got an explosion to watch."

"Thor has informed me of the plan to destroy the weapon on Dakara. I agree that it is necessary."

"Good, because it blows in 5…4…3…"

The base of the mountain was utterly obliterated, and the temple with it. The rest of the structure collapsed into the burning hole.

"Perfect," Jack approved. Teal'c nodded. "So, Anubis?"

"He had ordered dialling of the address to Earth, and was about to activate the weapon a second time. I did not have the strength to move. Before he could fire the weapon, a bright light appeared. I believe it was an ascended being, but it did not have any identifying features."

"Those ascended glowy things really need ID tags," Jack suggested.

Teal'c ignored the interruption. "Anubis left his host body and attacked the ascended being. They continued to clash, neither gaining an advantage. After they vanished through the ceiling, I lost consciousness. I did not expect to wake. When I did, my injuries were gone. As the Kull Warriors continued to wander around, we remained low. Thor transported us to his ship a brief time later."

"How many survivors?"

"Fourteen."

"Bra'tac?"

"Master Bra'tac is among them."

"How many did you lose?"

"Several hundred. It is a great loss to our cause."

Jack nodded slowly. "I'm sorry it turned out this way, T, but I'm relieved that you survived." He pointed into the void of space where several unmanned ships drifted. "We'd better get those ships out of here before Athena comes back. There's no reason to stick around, and I don't want to see what sort of tantrum a Goa'uld throws when she returns from a war to find her home nuked."

"Indeed."

-

_Earth, the next morning…_

**Faulty Auto-Destruct Saves SGC****, Endangers Earth**

Athena snatched up the newspaper and speed-read the article. It detailed the events of the previous day. It was likely partially inaccurate, but the exact truth didn't matter. Public perception was what really mattered, and at the moment, it was very negative towards the SGC. A situation which required destruction of the Stargate facility was a clearly bad thing, but the auto-destruct failing to detonate when it was expected to was an even darker black mark – even though everything turned out alright in the end.

The article also provided an explanation for the destruction of Dakara. Or – more correctly – it gave enough hints for Athena to figure out why she had returned to find the planet devoid of life and sporting a rubble-filled crater instead of a great temple and mountain. However, that was only a minor concern. Earth was her home, and she had no need for additional weapons, particularly weapons she hadn't known existed in the first place. In fact, she was glad it had been destroyed, as there was a chance it could have been used against her otherwise.

In truth, the Dakara Incident was exactly what she needed. Thanks to nosy reporters revealing the SGC's serious slip-up, it would be trivial for her Creating A Kinder Earth initiative to take control of Earth's Stargate, and with it, Earth's fate.

"You're not the only ones with nuclear weapons," she murmured as she prepared the orders for her underlings.

A few minutes later, as she added the finishing touches to her next campaign, a stray thought reminded her that it was high time she gave the go-ahead for the Hok'taur trial.


	27. A Kick in the Gate

Chapter 27 – A Kick in the Gate

Apologies for my lateness!

-

_At the Alpha Site…_

"What exciting plans do we have for today, Ma'am?" Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey asked wryly.

"Hopefully nothing as exciting as Earth nearly being destroyed and a large portion of the Jaffa Rebellion being wiped out," Sam replied a little wearily. The events of the previous day had been rather draining. The worst part had been the wait for a message from Earth, which had entailed several minutes of worrying whether Anubis had succeeded in destroying all life on the planet. Hearing Jack's voice had been a joyful moment, as was learning that Teal'c and his mentor were among the survivors.

"Don't forget about Anubis mysteriously vanishing," Jen added.

"Let's hope it's permanent. As for our task today, we're sending a Replicator scout force to Kali's main world to see the outcome of Athena's invasion."

"That's what I expected." Lieutenant Hailey checked the computer for a status report and announced, "The Replicator block-construction phase we initiated last night is almost complete, and the new ship will be ready for launch in three hours." It was not difficult to find planets which were inhabitable, but contained sufficient metals for Replicator growth.

"Excellent. I expect Teal'c will arrive well before the new ship reaches the target planet, designated P3X629. He should be leaving the SGC in just under five hours."

-

Teal'c did arrive at approximately the expected time, but strangely he didn't come directly from Earth. He wore a particularly grave expression, leading the lieutenant colonel to immediately ask him what was happening. He immediately began to explain in a sombre tone. "Several hours ago, several nations of Earth demanded that the IOA transfer control of the Stargate to the organisation known as Creating A Kinder Earth. After much deliberation, they agreed."

Sam gasped at this news. "They agreed?!"

"It is suspected that the 'deliberations' involved threats of nuclear attacks against those who did not comply, and bribes of increased participation for those who agreed willingly."

"Oh. But why didn't you come here directly?"

"The Stargate will soon be removed from the SGC facility. As a security measure, all records of the Alpha Site are being erased and direct communication has been terminated. General O'Neill does not wish 'CAKE' to be aware of the location of the Alpha Site, nor does he wish them to know of the projects being performed here, as it is possible the information could be leaked to the Goa'uld. Your President agrees."

"Wow. Yesterday we saved the world from Anubis. I never expected the Gate to be gone the very next day."

"Indeed. But it appears that removing the Stargate from SGC control is a multiple of yesterday's near-disaster."

"Huh? Multiple?" Sam didn't follow.

Jen grinned. "Invert it and think 'factor'."

"Oh, right. Good one, Teal'c."

"O'Neill was most perplexed by that statement."

"Jack," Sam said softly. "Jack! How am I supposed to… we're cut off from Earth… what can… and Cynthia…?" she babbled in confused realisation.

"Remember that you have the capability to construct Replicator ships. The Stargate is not the only route to Earth. However, your orders are to remain and continue your project for the time being. O'Neill has entrusted me with orders to convey to you and other officers on this base." Teal'c handed over the sealed packet.

Sam stared at the package in her hand with conflicted emotions. It was a link to Jack, but it also contained official orders keeping her from Earth, and thus from Jack. "Thanks, Teal'c. The newest Replicator ship is on its way to Kali's primary planet, P3X629. I'll send for you when the survey is about to start."

Teal'c gave a supportive nod and left.

Jen tried to find something adequate to say. "This… really sucks," she finally chose.

"Yeah. All we can do is continue our duty," Sam replied. No matter the situation at home, and despite any personal issues, it was her duty to protect Earth from the Goa'uld. In times like this, her duty as an Air Force officer was a source of strength, and her soldier-side showed the most.

-

_In the control room, SGC…_

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill watched through the thick viewing window as the Stargate was winched upwards by strong cables. He shook his head in disbelief. "How could his happen? Yesterday, everything was normal. Sure, we barely prevented Anubis from wiping out life on Earth, but it's not like we haven't already done that twice before. But today… now it's all over."

Major Doctor Janet Frasier made a 'mm-hmm' of agreement. "How could they do this so suddenly? When Kinsey shut the SGC down before Apophis attacked, it took days for anything to happen."

"There was no one threatening global thermonuclear war that time," Jack responded. "There's a lot of people out there who don't want us to have the Stargate, not just a single shonky senator. And it's still going to take a while to shut this place down. Longer than last time."

"Because the scale of operations has grown?"

"That and I'm the one doing the paperwork this time," Jack groused.

Janet couldn't bring herself to smile. "These 'CAKE' people… what do you think their intentions are?"

"I'm sure they're completely benevolent, and want nothing more than to make everyone in the universe truly happy," Jack answered, in a perfect rendition of sincerity. He rolled his eyes and added, "They might be in it for the money, but I expect whoever's at the top of the pyramid is planning complete domination."

"You really think so?"

"Only someone with big ambitions would bother to pull of something like this. And they threatened us with nukes for crying out loud! Of course they're up to no good."

"I feel as if I'm partly to blame," Janet admitted in a small voice.

"You, Doc?"

"This wouldn't have happened if the public didn't know about the Stargate. It was my own son who…"

"You're not responsible for that," Jack quickly interrupted. "There's no way he found out anything from you, unless he can read minds, that is," he kidded. "And this happened way too fast: they were planning this well before the Stargate became public knowledge. They could even be the ones who leaked the information to your son."

"Which means the might be the ones who took Cassandra," Janet speculated.

"I sure hope not. If that's true, the Goa'uld are involved in CAKE. Go figure... they probably picked that name because they know cake is special to me."

"General, I doubt..."

Janet was cut off by the loud noise accompanying Walter blowing his nose. The sight of the Stargate vanishing into the ceiling had caused the technician's eyes to spring a leak.

"Buck up, Walter. It's not the end of the world."

"No, that was yesterday, Sir," Walter replied in a strained voice, trying to keep his little remaining composure.

"Yes, and I'm sure we'll have another next week. Haven't you got paperwork to fill out, Sergeant?" Jack knew the man needed a distraction.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

Once he had left the control room, Janet asked, "We're not going to let them get away with this, are we?" Her face and tone clearly displayed her resolve.

"No. Whoever is behind this is not keeping our 'gate, and is not taking our planet," Jack promised with equal resolve.

-

Next: We get to see the girls with names starting with 'C'


	28. Various Female Misfortune

Chapter 28 – Various Female Misfortune

_In an unknown location on Earth._..

The door to the containment room opened, admitting a short raven-haired woman who wore a neat white lab-coat. She shivered at the tickle of the highly charged air. It was dangerous, but it was the only thing keeping her safe from the room's resident. Soon, it would no longer be necessary.

The 'woman' reached into the special container she carried. _"Hello, little sister. Our mother has chosen you for a great honour. Here is your new host: the hok'taur."_

The symbiote squeaked its approval.

-

_At the Tezo'g Station..._

Cynthia awoke to a haze of pain and a smell of fried electronics. Her eyes opened to the sight of a burned-out tray of control crystals. "Oops," she muttered sheepishly. She had been attempting to 'borrow' parts from various systems to build something which might assist in her escape. Unfortunately, it seemed she had instead fried the life-support system.

She peered at the blackened crystals to gauge the level of damage. It was difficult to say for certain, but she leaned towards 'unsalvageable'. As for the impact upon living conditions, she had no idea yet, and she didn't know how to find out.

Cynthia found herself not particularly caring. Escape was the primary concern, life support secondary. If she had to die, it would be before Athena returned. Besides, repair might not be possible, while there was plenty of air on the station. It would be a waste of time to fix it, when she could work on fleeing instead.

Unfortunately, from her investigations so far, she could see that an escape would not be easy. The station was literally a station - it boasted no maneuvering capabilities. She could not find any escape pods or materials to make a separate airtight vessel. There were long-range sensors, which showed nothing within a reachable range - from what little she could understand. This meant that she had no destination for a wormhole or other transport system, not that she had time to build such a thing.

In search for inspiration, she had unwisely begun fiddling with whatever crystal trays she could find. This meddling had led to her present singed state and life support problems. She now felt somewhat cautious about messing around with things she barely understood. The goal of escaping would be far for achievable if she had someone who could read Goa'uld with her. Unfortunately, bringing someone to the station was a greater challenge than leaving it herself. Unless...

Someone not on the station had an advantage over her: access to ships. An outsider could easily fly in and rescue her, but currently they did not know she needed rescuing. Therefore, to bring someone - and a ship - to the station, she simply needed to call for help. Sending a distress signal would be far simpler than sending herself anywhere.

Cynthia reached this conclusion in a matter of seconds. Her next thought was to see how far she needed to send a signal. The long range sensors should have such information. Wait, the long range sensors?

Oh. Oh! The long range sensors were the best basis for rigging up a communication system, she realised. She immediately headed in the direction of the appropriate room, hoping she could determine and make the appropriate modifications without causing additional damage.

-

_Meanwhile, back on Earth..._

Cassandra Frasier was not completely senseless. While blind, deaf, and prevented from sensing magnetic fields by the painfully strong ionisation of the surrounding air, she could still feel vibrations. From these vibrations, she could infer some useful knowledge. For instance, someone had entered the room and was standing behind her. Unfortunately, she could not tell who or what, and any attempt at looking with her extra sense would have the same effect as touching a high-voltage electric fence.

Her sense of touch worked fine also. Something wet touched the back of her neck. She flinched as much as her restraints allowed. Moments later she discovered how well her pain receptors worked, as something tore into the back of her neck. Being deaf in no ways hindered her screams.

-

_Tezo'g Station..._

The patch job looked awful, but it should do the job. Borrowed conrol crystals, angular pieces of scrap metal, and strips of pink-and-white-striped cloth made up the bulk of the modifications. Cynthia went barefoot, having sacrificed her socks.

A few button presses later, the transmitter became live, by all indications. By default, it emitted a repeating cross-spectrum pulse, which should gain the attention of anyone listening to subspace signals. After giving it half a minute to be noticed, she adjusted a crystal in order to tie a makeshift microphone into the loop.

"Attention please. My name is Cynthia Sanders, and I require urgent assistance. I repeat, I am Cynthia Sanders and I urgently need help. I am stranded on a space station. I was placed here by the Goa'uld Athena, who captured me along with Doctor Daniel Jackson. Daniel recently perished at the hand of Athena, who left his body in empty space. I need rescue before I run out of fresh air in about six hours. Uh, that's a quarter of an Earth day. Also Athena may return at any time.

If rescue is not possible, I need a warning passed to Earth, known to many as, um, Tauri. I believe the name of Athena's host or fake identity is Charlotte Mayfield. She claimed responsibility for planning Ba'al's recent attempt to attack Earth by building a Stargate with portal technology stolen from my own research. She has now taken over Ba'al's territory and ousted Anubis.

The worst news is that she now has control of Replicator technology. I'm afraid I must admit I am responsible for this. I kept some Replicator cells to study and Athena forced me to program them to merge with her mind. Mom, as soon as you hear this, you must prepare adequate countermeasures.

I don't know how useful this information is, but Athena has a ship with Asgard beaming technology. She also has one of those brain-mushing glove-gadgets and a, um, sarcophagus. Which reminds me: is temporarily-dying an SGC initiation rite? Anyhow, she also had a mind-reading device that sticks into the side of your head and displays memories, but I kinda... burned it out. Oh, and if Daniel somehow comes back to life again, keep him away from professional knife throwers - some don't realise they're meant to miss.

Anyhow... Mom, Dad, if I don't see you again... I'm sorry. Thor was right about deactivating all the Replicator cells. I thought I could do something beneficial with them. I took all the necessary precautions, but I didn't count on being kidnapped - twice - or a Goa'uld getting her hands - or is that 'fins'? - on the stuff. And then I thought I could keep the access codes and such secret. Didn't count on Daniel being used against me, I tried programming it to kill her, but she was too smart for me and saw straight through it. I hope you can find a way to stop her... and I really hope I'll get a chance at helping. That depends on whether anyone hears this and either has a fast ship or relays the message to someone who can get here in time, I figure.

Mom, I guess I'd better give you access to all my encrypted research files, so you can use them if I don't make it. Obviously this is an insecure channel, so I'll find a way to leave you the access codes that only you will be able to read. So if you get here too late, you'd really better get here before Athena does, or she'll destroy anything that might be of use to you. I really hope she's not listening to this right now.

I think that's all I need to say. If you've missed any part of this message or haven't recorded it, it will loop repeatedly until there is no point in looping it any longer. I apologise for any inadvertant errors or omissions – as you can imagine, I have scarcely been able to create a transmitter, let alone rehearse a message. Um, yeah... This has been Cynthia Sanders, citizen of Earth. Now, I'd better go see if I can get the CO2 scrubber going..."

-

A maddened Vala Mal Doran stomped – and squelched, and dripped – back into her brand new ship. There wasn't a single bit of treasure on this planet, not anywhere! Just mud, and rotting vegetation. That Daniel Jackson fellow must think he was _so_ smart leading her on a fruitless treasure hunt all over the horrid and humid planet. And after she'd been so generous and given him clothes and food!

The infuriating archaeologist would pay for what he'd done for her, she decided. She wouldn't hurt him – much – but he would definitely pay.

He'd better not have escaped.

-

Note: I'm about to leave for an 8 day trip, and should return with plenty of fic to upload :D

Also, Happy New Year! There's less than an hour left of January 1st, my time.


	29. Escape Characters?

Chapter 29 - Escape Characters?

_A few hours later, at the Alpha Site..._

"I don't believe this!"

"Ma'am?"

"What do you see, Jen?" Sam asked.

"Kali's Jaffa, ships, palace and other buildings, all destroyed by Replicators, which are now in control of the planet. The human slaves are untouched but fearful," Lieutenant Hailey observed.

"That's what I see too. Is something wrong with my memory? I'm quite sure we haven't attacked any of Kali's planets yet."

"We have not, Ma'am. Someone else must have done this."

"Someone else with control of Replicator technology? That's... not good."

There was a short silence as both officers considered the situation. Finally Jen suggested, "It could be Athena, since she attacked Kali, but it's possible a third party wiped out both."

"Someone against the Goa'uld, like us," Sam added.

"Exactly. But we can't count on that. It could be a third Goa'uld, which is little different to it being Athena. Should we take a closer look?"

"We need to know who is responsible. The best way to find out will be to question the humans. Hopefully the one responsible left a name."

"Uh... that could be a problem: we have incoming!" Jen anxiously reported.

"Replicators from the planet?"

"Yes, and we don't have any way to defend against them. Apart from brute force, Ma'am."

"They shouldn't have any other way to attack ours either. Evasive maneuvers?"

"By all means," Sam agreed. "If you dodge their ramming attempts you should be able to tear them apart as they pass."

"I'm on it." The first enemy conglomeration of Replicator blocks swooped towards the larger observing ship. Instead of attempting to ram, it shot by with several metres to spare. "We're taking damage!"

"How?"

"Hight velocity impacts with single Replicator blocks. They're firing on us!"

"How bad is the damage?"

"Minimal, and already repairing. But that was just a single attacker. There are over a dozen inbound. It will be too much."

"Can we return fire?"

Jen shook her head. "Not yet. I'll need to reconfigure, and design a Replicator railgun on the fly. We don't have enough time for that."

"Break it into mobile subunits and scatter them to maximise survival time. We want to pick up as much data as possible. Jumping to hyperspeed would be pointless, as they'd blow out the hyperdrive first, or follow."

"I'm on it," Jennifer eagerly answered. With the aid of the specially-rigged 'game chair' she was able to maintain surveillance of the planet for several minutes. Eventually, all Replicator structures under her control were surrounded and smashed to pieces by the planet's defenders. "Sorry, that's the best I could do."

Sam shook her head. "No, that was quite good, considering the circumstances. Enemy Replicators were the last thing we expected."

"Do you think they could be autonomous? Like the original Replicators?"

"Technically those were controlled by the android Reese, at least initially. But that's irrelevant... No, every Replicator was shut down by Cynthia. They're all connected by the subspace link. The only Replicators left are those we re-animated, unless someone else figured out how."

"Cynthia was kidnapped..." Jen reminded.

"Ohh... that's a very good point. Perhaps the pirate turned her over to Athena or another Goa'uld."

"Wasn't she an ex-host?"

Sam nodded her agreement. "True. But we can only guess at what happened to Cynthia since she was taken from Prometheus."

An airman appeared at the lab door. "Urgent message for Lieutenant Colonel Carter," he reported.

"From Earth?" she wondered.

"From Hebridan," he corrected. "It's about your daughter."

"What were you were saying, Ma'am?" Lieutenant Hailey asked teasingly.

Sam shook her head. "Never mind." Then she frowned as she realised, "The Hebridans shouldn't have the Alpha Site address."

"No, but Cynthia knows it."

"Do you think..." Sam's face was filled with hope.

"Let's go see."

-

_Earlier, on Tezo'g Station..._

BLEEP!

"Hmm, what's this?" Cynthia muttered. She peered at the screen, trying to figure out its meaning. "Something detected on long range sensors. Unidentified incoming spacecraft, perhaps?"

The screen flashed with an obviously negative message. An alarm blared and a progress counter began to fill. "Uh oh. That looks potentially bad. I get the feeling some kind of weapon is powering up. I didn't know this station had automated weapons. This probably means the incoming ship isn't Athena. Which means it might be a rescue. A rescue which is about to be destroyed. Or else it's one of Athena's enemies who wants to destroy this place or kidnap me. Or it's Athena and I broke the recognition system. What are the odds?"

Deciding she was over-thinking the situation, Cynthia decided to destroy anything that might be controlling the weapon - if it was actually a weapon. In the event a rescuer was approaching, this would be best. If not, she would run out of clean air, so repelling an attack would help little in the long term. She began to smash likely crystals and rip out power conduits with the help of some junk she was fairly sure was non-conductive.

Her progress was interrupted by the sound of an incoming message, courtesy of the rudimentary communication system she had pieced together. "This is Warrick of Hebridan calling Cynthia of Earth. Estimated arrival in 250 seconds. We are detecting an strong energy buildup at your location. Please advise."

Cynthia fumbled with some crystals and bits of torn sock. "Uh, hi. You must be the space-race guy. I think there's an automatic weapon which is charging. I'm trying to stop it with methods that are crude and potentially dangerous. Please hurry."

"Understood. I'll do all I can," replied a different voice. "This is La'el Montrose, pilot of the ship Myrax. Warrick is my co-pilot," she explained.

Encouraged by the imminent rescue, and concerned about the possible destruction of the same, Cynthia threw herself into the task of damaging the control and power systems with utter enthusiasm. Sparks flew and chunks of crystal and metal littered the floor. There were many different control systems available in the central room of the station (to which access had been difficult to gain). These were interlinked by a variety of data and power conduits, and some redundancy seemed to be in place. It was difficult to determine what needed to be forcibly dismantled and what should be left.

Cynthia heard several new warning sirens start wailing after the severing of a particularly prominent power conductor. Various screens now showed likely-dire warnings, and the progress counter had halted at just over three quarters. Good enough. She should be able to reach the airlock in well under the two remaining minutes until her rescuers arrived.

The screens flared brightly for a few warning seconds before exploding into smoky shards. It wasn't a big loss, as they were no longer needed.

Lights and artificial gravity would be extremely helpful, however. Cynthia wondered if Warrick would beat her to the airlock. As she blundered her way from handhold to handhold, she mused over the question of whether no gravity was better than unexpected double reverse gravity. The latter seriously hurt.

-

_Meanwhile, on Earth..._

Cruel eyes flashed. A harsh voice spoke, little resembling the normal tones of the young human female. _ "This host lacks the senses of sight and hearing. The brain has already begun to compensate by using the hok'taur advancements available. Reversing these changes would severely compromise the available power. Therefore, I will be unable to see or hear until the suppression field is lowered."_

The Goa'uld in the labcoat nodded unnecessarily and left the room. She swiped a keycard and pressed the appropriate button to disable the device which had been preventing the use of electromagnetic abilities, by rather making the slightest use extremely painful. Her task complete, she returned to the former prisoner. _"You should now be able to..._"

The suddenly unconscious host body hit the floor with a muffled thump. The formerly-speaking parasite had easily been taken out by application of electricity in the right place. The prisoner – now alone and unchecked – made short work of the restraints.

-

Happy nail-biting!


	30. Not Too Soon

Chapter 30 – Not Too Soon

Notes: A nice long chapter, which I started writing yesterday. *looks at clock: sees it is slightly after midnight.* I mean, the day before yesterday.

Enjoy!

-

_Tezo'g Station..._

Cynthia pushed off a structural beam and floated toward the airlock entrance. As she reached it, the gravity cut back on, dropping her roughly on the floor. She began crawling but was soon yanked down even harder. With tremendous effort, she rolled herself into the airlock and began stretching up to press the button to close the inner doors.

Moments later, she bashed her head on the ceiling. Muttering a curse she succeeded in closing the air-tight doors, and not a moment too soon. A tremor rocked the station - something had exploded. Not knowing how long the compartment would hold, and hoping the rescuers had docked, she opened the outer doors. Fortunately she met with a second set of doors, which belonged to a ship.

Knocking on these doors caused them to be quickly opened. "Hurry inside and strap yourself in. We must leave this place immediately," said the friendly alien she figured must be Warrick.

"I figured as much. How fast can we go?"

"With the latest ion drive enhancements... fast enough."

-

"General Jack O... yes that's right.... Of course I do.... Not yet, I'm afraid, but we're still looking.... Yes, I'll tell you when we know.... Of course I like cake! I love c... Right, that. I don't know anything about them, except that they took my interplanetary portal.... What? No, she's as human as you or I... or me.... As much as any Canadian is an 'alien'.... Look, her mom's here, I'll let you talk with her, okay?"

Jack held the phone out to Janet. "It's Emily, Cassie's friend." She took the handset, allowing Jack to return to staring at the empty space where the Stargate should be.

-

"Good afternoon viewers, and welcome to Inside Access. I am your host, Julia Donovan, and today I've left the studio and am coming to you live from Colorado Springs. In just a few moments we will see something incredible live for the first time: the Stargate.

For those of you who have been living under a rock the last few days - as most of Earth's people have unwittingly done for several years - the Stargate is an incredible device which allows us to travel to other planets in an instant. These are extra-solar planets - planets which orbit stars other than our sun. Today the Stargate will be passed on from the United States Air Force to an international civilian outfit named Creating A Kinder Earth.

As we wait for the Stargate to emerge, I have gained access to an exclusive interview with the driving force behind the CAKE initiative: Miss Charlotte Mayfield. Miss Mayfield, welcome to Inside Access."

"Please, call me Charlotte, Julia."

"Thank you, Charlotte. I'm amazed at how much you accomplished in such a short time. Can you enlighten my viewers as to how you achieved this?"

Charlotte smiled. "It is because of those very same viewers, and many millions like them. The people of Earth are unified in their desire to have a say in the operation of the Stargate - the means of interstellar commerce. Because it connects our planet to the entire galaxy, no single nation or section of society has exclusive rights to it. I merely provided a vessel which floated on the irresistible will of the people."

"What of the nuclear threats against America and Russia?"

"It was unfortunate that such extreme measures were involved. While I am glad that the holders and 'owners' of the Stargate capitulated, I wish the issue could have settled without such violent threats. While I appreciate the enthusiasm of the nations involved, I certainly never asked for such threats to be made nor would I wish it to occur again. As the most highly populated known planet, and the source of all human life in the galaxy, I would hope we are above destroying ourselves over disputes of national sovereignty." Thanks to the children Athena had distributed, it had not been necessary to ask for co-operation.

"That hope is one I am sure we all share. Now, the Stargate is coming into view as it is winched out of what was once a missile silo. Wow, it's so big! I mean, I've seen it on video before, and in some pictures, but to actually see it in reality... it's huge!"

"A common reaction, I'm told," Charlotte commented.

"Do you think I could touch it? Or at least have a closer look?"

Charlotte looked amused. "I'm sure that could be arranged."

"Is it safe? That is, could it... go off? I wouldn't want something to come out of it while I'm standing in front of it."

"Don't worry, we've taken full precautions. There is a solid protective barrier to prevent such occurrences."

"What would happen if something tries to come through? Would it be splattered against the barrier?"

"No, because the placement is such that a connection can't even form. It's comparable to unplugging your phone and placing tape over the socket so it can't be reinserted. Actually, it's closer to telling the phone company to unplug your phone line at the exchange."

"I think I understand. For how long will the barrier be left in place?"

"Until construction of our new facility is complete."

"Where will that be located?"

"A plot of land was donated by Princeton University. The structure will be both above and below ground. However, it does not need to be nearly the size of the former Stargate Command. This site will serve as a central hub, with any number of satellite facilities all over the globe. We intend to connect these sites with an instantaneous transportation system developed from acquired alien technology. Each site will be a mixture between a research facility and an international airport. In fact, we may buy and convert airports because they should rapidly become obsolete, as well as other forms of powered vehicular transport."

"A very ambitious plan, but I say it's high time we did something to reduce pollution."

"CAKE certainly plans all that, and more. We intend to advance medicine, provide cheap clean water for all, and provide training and employment for millions of disadvantaged."

"This is certainly an exciting to be alive."

Charlotte gave a friendly smile for the viewers. "I couldn't agree more!"

-

"I'm lucky to be alive!" Cynthia exclaimed as she looked at the images the Myrex had taken as it fled. The station she had been plucked from was now in several scattered pieces. "Thanks for the save. It's great to meet you both. My mom told me about you, and the race. I hope I can watch it this year."

"It would be an honour to have you observe, and if you can not, it will be recorded," Warrick replied.

"Welcome aboard the Myrex," greeted the pilot. "I'm La'el Montrose. I figure from your message you must be Cynthia Sanders, the missing girl from Earth. All Earth's friends have been on the lookout for you."

"I'm indebted to you, and everyone else who are looking for me. And all Earth will be, once I warn them about Athena."

"May I ask how you came to be involved in Earth's... Stargate Program?" Warrick wondered.

"That's a long story."

"We have time, if you'd like to tell it. Hebridan is still some distance away," La'el pointed out.

"Alright. It was like this..."

-

_On Earth..._

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Leah asked as she switched off the TV. Now that the truck bearing the Stargate was on its way, there was nothing left to see.

Ivan nodded. "I believe so. The USAF weren't doing a bad job, but now more people can benefit, and sooner. They were too constrained by secrecy. Just think: immediate, safe, efficient, and cheap global transportation. Until now, we had to pick two."

Leah didn't quite follow. "Pick two what?"

"Immediate, safe, efficient, or cheap."

"I get it now. It's like, 'Attractive, intelligent, single, or sane - pick two.'"

"Right. Which am I?"

"If you need to ask, you're definitely stuck with just being single," Leah joked.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist. But so long as you keep us safe, nothing else matters."

"I'll do that, trust me. Say, how about we catch a mov... Aahh!" Ivan suddenly flinched and grabbed at his forehead.

"What's wrong?" asked his concerned friend, who automatically placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Headache... pictures... something – argh! - important," Ivan replied, the stress showing clearly on his face. "I've been mostly... blocking stuff – it makes it hard to concentrate, on the present, and wears me out... OW!"

"Ivan? Are you... no, you're not okay. Should I get some water, or aspirin, or something?"

"Yeah, some water. In something that... can't break."

"I'll be right back." Leah left her friend on the couch and collected some water in a plastic cup. She returned to find him looking somewhat dazed. "Ivan?"

"Wegottago," he muttered.

Leah was immediately alarmed. "Ivan?! What's wrong?"

"We have to hurry." He sounded a little clearer.

"Has someone found us?" Leah suspected.

"No, we need to... find..."

"Find who? Who do we have to find, Ivan?"

"My sister."

-

_At the SGC..._

"Ambitious," General O'Neill commented, referring to Mayfield's grand plans to make Earth a better place.

"Extremely," Janet agreed. "I can't help but wonder if... if we should have done more. Maybe if we hadn't kept the Stargate secret for so long, this might be happening sooner."

Jack shook his head. "That's not true, Doc. If this had happened sooner, we'd still be endangered by the Goa'uld. We wouldn't be able to reassure people that Earth is safe, and we'd have mass panic. Not that we don't have some panic, but there'd be... more."

"Do you think they'll achieve what they've promised?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "She said 'plan' not 'promise'. So sure of herself... I think she has something up her sleeve. I said she was up to no good, and I still think so. Reminds me of the Aschen."

"You're waiting for the other shoe to drop?"

"You're lucky Teal'c's not here to ask why she has shoes in her sleeves."

"You're right General, he would say something along those lines. That man has quite a way with words. Always knows when to make us smile."

Jack sighed. "I wish he was here right now. He'd have found Cassie by now, and he'd be looking for your son that that girl... Lonna."

"Leah. Maybe Teal'c will find Cynthia and Daniel," Janet suggested hopefully.

"Maybe. But he'd better take care of Carter."

"Don't worry. After this is over, we'll see our loved ones again."

"Yeah, but remember, it's my job to tell you not to worry. It's your job to patch Danny and back together. And... how's that improved Goa'uld poison research going?" Jack inquired.

"Quite well, actually. It's nearly ready. I should really get back to it."

"Maybe you should get home, Doc. You look like you haven't been sleeping much."

"Who has?" Janet asked rhetorically. "But I'd really better get this finished. It can't afford to wait if..."

"Just make sure you don't stay up too late, alright?"

"I hope I don't need to."

-

_Elsewhere on Earth..._

The truck carrying the Stargate was well guarded. It was protected ahead and behind by a motorcade comprised of military, police, and security personnel speedily recruited by CAKE. While most regular civilian citizens were in favour of CAKE taking control of the Stargate, there were certain elements of society who potentially might want it for themselves. Organised crime syndicates were one such group, hence the security precautions. No one expected any trouble – there was extremely little time for anyone to consider an attack – but it always paid to be ready.

As the procession crossed a bridge – a single steel arch over a river – the truth behind such fears was illuminated by the flash of several carefully placed explosions. The bridge collapsed, taking the truck and most of the other vehicles with it. The spray from the splash had barely cleared when a team of armed divers jumped from a waiting boat, dragging winch cables. These they attached to the truck, while other thugs provided cover fire to hold off what little of the security force remained alive. Within minutes, the truck was on the boat, which was pointed downriver at maximum speed.

-

_On The Larger Moon of Bryx…_

"That's not fair! He _did_ escape!" the 'space pirate' declared. She was already in a bad mood, what with the mud on her clothes and now the floor... not to mention her hair. "That girl is _far_ too smart. I wonder how they did it. Hmm, let's try the security logs..."

Vala pressed a few buttons, made a sound of confusion, and pressed a few more. In response, a holographic projection appeared. _"Hello Vala."_

Definitely Goa'uld, but not a familiar face. "Who..."

"_You won't recognise me, but you must remember the name Athena. You should also remember the Clava Thessara Infinitas, of which Quetesh cheated me. I came to access your memories of it, but fortunately – for you – you were absent. Unfortunately for your companions, they proved to be an equal prize. Now that I have that, I'm not longer concerned with the..."_

Knowing how Athena worked, Vala immediately ran for her ship. As soon as she was aboard, the accelerated for open sky and patched the radio into the house's sound system. _"...no longer my concern, so I will leave you alone. Apart from saying my final farewell."_

As her briefly-owned home burst into a ball of fire, Vala lamented that she'd not had a chance to take a shower. After all, one must look one's best while searching for a new home. Daniel and Cynthia had told her a lot about Earth – perhaps it was worth a look.

-

_On the SGC's Alpha Site..._

"Mom!"

It was the word Samantha had desperately longed to hear, while fearing she never would. Without restraint, she enveloped her daughter in a desperate hug.

"We dialled Earth, but couldn't connect, so I dialed the Alpha Site," Cynthia explained rapidly. "And I met Warrick and La'el, and... and the gravity kept going weird, and explosions, and that pirate woman, and Athena took us... Daniel!"

"Whoa, slow down baby. You're safe," Sam comforted.

"No, something's important. Earth. And, I haven't slept in forever, and... the message. Listen to it." Cynthia fell asleep on her feet, safe in her mother's arms.

"Teal'c, take her to a bed," Sam ordered. "No, get her medical attention, she looks pretty beat up. Warrick, it's great to see you; remind me to thank you for rescuing her later. What's this about a message? Is it urgent?"

"I believe so. It's Cynthia's distress call, which we recorded. I can play it for you."

"Please do."

-

_Above Earth..._

"My Queen, the convoy has been attacked. The transport vehicle has been taken aboard a water-bound vessel," a Jaffa who had been operating the ship's radio reported.

"_Hmm, I thought someone might try. Utterly futile, of course," _Athena commented. _"I believe it is time to begin construction."_


	31. Seek and Find, Search and Rescue

Chapter 31 - Seek and Find, Search and Rescue

All the backup security forces converging on the area expected the boat to attempt to reach the ocean. Therefore, they all missed the moment in which it turned aside and vanished into the sheer riverbank. Unseen and unassailed, the vessel reached its underground destination. The truck doors were forced open and the Stargate was dragged/rolled into the open.

"Here it is, Mister Wenfell," produced the crook who'd organised the hit.

"Excellent job, given the short notice and military involvement. The payment will be forwarded shortly," replied Mister Wenfell, a tall grim man with sharp features. "Toby, get your gear and start removing the iris," he told a younger man."

"I'm on it, boss."

-

_On the Alpha Site..._

"You must calm yourself, ColonelCarter."

"_Calm_, Teal'c? How can I be _calm_? Daniel is _dead_, and Cynthia has been. That _snake_ tortured her and tried reading her mind, and now she's on Earth, with Replicator technology! I can't be calm!"

"In your current state, you can help no one. Perhaps you should join your daughter in sleep. When you are rested, we can plan."

Sam sighed. "You're right. I'll take a nap, and then... then we destroy Athena."

"Indeed."

-

_In an underground hideout, Earth..._

"Uh... Mister Wenfell?"

"What is it Toby?"

"It's plastic, boss."

"What is?"

"The Stargate. It's made of plastic."

"Are you sure?"

"Certain. It burns. I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to do that. We've been duped."

"I see... but by who?"

-

_Above Earth..._

_"Beam down the package," _ Athena commanded. In short order, a small crate was sent to Earth by way of Asgard beam technology. The bright rays of light deposited it in the dark and empty building site, which was already marked with a sign announcing: 'Future Home of CAKE HQ.' Beside the crate lay a massive pile of scrap metal, freshly delivered.

Up in the ship, Athena mentally formulated a command. The metallic mass attached to the Goa'uld's brain translated the thoughts into subspace signals. Down below, the crate vibrated with the sounds of whirring and metallic clanking. The side of the crate began to smoke and dissolve. For a moment, all was still.

Accompanied by a shriek of metal, a robotic pincer punched out through the hole. It was soon followed by an insectoid body, formed of interlocking blocks. The crate began to fall to pieces as it was devoured from inside. Once they were finished, the Replicators advanced on the scrap pile. Soon, they began to burrow into the ground. Construction had begun.

-

_Meanwhile, elsewhere on Earth..._

A lone, young figure stumbled blindly along the road. Inside the facility that had been her prison, there had been plenty of metal and electromagnetic activity, by which she could navigate. Now that she had succeeded in fleeing outside, the task of safely moving was far more difficult. It took a high level of concentration and relaxation to focus enough to sense the world, and even more to understand it. Besides that, she had no idea where she was or where she wanted to go. Away from the Goa'uld was direction enough for now.

Cassandra's navigation problems were not the only difficulty. Walking was awkward due to the bad fit of the shoes she had acquired. The same went for her clothes. She was however grateful she had been able to find shoes and clothes that didn't make her look like a lost scientist or some kind of alien slave princess, as labcoats and Go'uld outfits were prone to do. The other difficulty was the nasty entry wound in the back of her neck. While she'd bandaged it as well as she could, some blood still seeped out and down her sweaty back.

Cassandra was familiar with the healing powers of the Goa'uld. She had heard the stories of Jacob Carter, who'd been cured of his cancer by the Tok'ra Selmak, and how her own 'Uncle Jack' had been cured of the Ancient plague by Kanan, another Tok'ra. She had known she was a likely candidate for hosting a parasite, and had realised there was a chance her sight and hearing could be restored. But when it actually occurred, she knew she could not let such a monster into her mind, even for a moment.

Killing the parasite had been simple. While her abilities were effectively neutralised outside her body, inside was fair game. As the Goa'uld tore its way toward her brain-stem, she swiftly overloaded its neural pathways. Once she had convinced the scientist into shutting down the suppression field, it was not difficult to do the same to the other Goa'uld. Once she had freed herself, she was able to pull the mindless invader from her body and crush it under a heavy piece of equipment.

Knowing what she did about the Goa'uld, Cassie did not for a moment regret her decision. The convenience of sight and hearing was not worth the fowl touch of the parasite's mind. Also, safe removal might not be possible later, and she didn't know whether or not she would remain in control of her abilities. Possibly not. It wasn't worth the risk. For now, she could survive with what she had.

-

_At the Alpha Site..._

"Athena's Earth identity is 'Charlotte Mayfield'," Sam mused. "I've seen that name recently."

"I believe it was in the information that accompanied the orders I brought to you," Teal'c answered helpfully.

"Yes that's it. She's the top person in that organisation which took control of the Stargate!"

"I believe you mean CAKE."

"No, the Stargate." Sam received a raised eyebrow. "Oh, right. This means a Goa'uld has complete control of Earth's Stargate. With control of Replicators, which were able to defeat ours, she'll soon have control of Earth."

"I think she already does, Ma'am."

"Jennifer? What do you mean?"

"She had the Stargate handed to her, with a nuclear threat backing her. And she controls an enemy which outmatched the Asgard," Lieutenant Hailey replied.

"The Asgard, yes, but not us."

"The methods Athena's Replicators used against ours are the same as we use: application of kinetic energy via collision with objects of high velocity. We don't have an advantage now."

"That's where you're wrong. Athena is up against four great minds, once Cynthia is well rested. We can incorporate any technology we want into or Replicators. I'm certain we'll come up with some tricks she'll never see coming."

"Unscheduled Gate Activation. It's the Tok'ra," the gate technician announced to all Alpha Site personnel."

"I believe none of us saw that coming," Teal'c observed.

Half a minute later, Sam was pleased to see her father arrive. "Dad! It's great to see you! How's... things?"

"Give your old man a hug, Sammy," Jacob replied as he hugged her. "I miss Selmak a lot, but I'm doing okay," he said in a voice which strongly implied, 'They can wait until later.' What's going on? I couldn't reach Earth."

"The Gate's being moved. I'll explain later. You've got bad news, haven't you? I can tell."

"You're right. One of our field operatives picked up a distress signal a short time ago. Realising that it had been sent by your daughter, he investigated and found the source of the message He intended to attempt a rescue, but all he found there was the remains of a space station. No lifesigns..."

"Hi everyone, I heard the Gate Activation warning. What's up?" asked a sleepy Cynthia.

"Cynthia, meet my father, Jacob Carter, your grandfather. He was just giving me the news of you assumed demise."

"Oh. Hi Grandpa Jacob. Some nice Hebridans rescued me, so I won't be needing that death notice." The fifteen-year-old yawned in a very unladylike fashion and added, "I'm going back to bed. See you all later."

Jacob stared after the retreating figure. "Wow."

"I know! And isn't she the cutest?" Sam enthused.

Her father nodded. "She looks a lot like you at that age... but taller."

"Smarter too. Did I tell you about the working mini-Stargate she built?"

"You did."

"Right, sorry." Sam collected her thoughts and found a more vital topic to discuss. "I'm glad you're here, Dad. Earth is in trouble."

"I know, that was mentioned in the distress call."

"Yes, of course you know. But it's worse than you know. I need to tell you about CAKE."

"Without Selmak, I need to be more careful with my diet..."

"No Dad, it's an acronym."

-

_A little later, on Earth..._

Following the road turned out to be a wise choice. The edge of the road provided a fairly clear line to follow, she was guaranteed a smooth path, and she knew it had to lead somewhere. And lead it did. The only objects she had been able to sense without careful concentration were occasional cars, because of their obvious electrical activity. Now, a whole new array of sensations buzzed and fizzled for attention.

Overhead, streetlights hummed, and power cables thrummed with energy. Phone lines gave off a hubbub of concurrent conversation, and warbles of data transfer. Side streets added increasing danger as Cassie moved further into the city. She passed people too, who may have given her odd looks. This, she could not determine, and it was not worth the effort or risk. Finally, she reached her target: a pay phone.

Although she possessed no cash, a collect call to the SGC should solve her problems. Picking up the handset was not too tricky, but mentally listening to the voice signal coming from the other end, while ignoring all other electrical activity, would require delicate balance.

As she leaned against the phone booth wall, Cassie realised how long ago her last meal had been. The escape and subsequent walk had left her weak, and the recent trauma and various drug injections had not helped. Wondering where she could eat her fill, she mentally swept the surrounding area. Her mind snagged on the closest powerline, and before she knew what she was doing, she had absorbed a sizable charge of energy.

Now highly energised, the teen's delicate handling of the phone's internals was amped up to eleven (on a scale of one to ten), causing immediate overloads of all sensitive components. The other components didn't last much longer. Cassie dropped the phone like it had stung her. Worrying about inhaling toxic vapours, she quickly vacated the booth.

"This really sucks," she complained to the world in general. If the world replied, she wasn't aware of it.

-

_In a blue MINI Cooper, elsewhere on Earth..._

"At the risk of repeating myself... what made you think this was a good idea?" Leah demanded. Again.

"I never said it was a _good_ idea. I said it was _necessary_."

"You didn't say much of anything, Ivan."

"I rest my case."

"That's not fair!" Leah protested. "Not that I mean to imply life ever is."

"Your point?"

"Couldn't we have at least waited until morning?"

"No. All I know is that Cassandra is in danger, and if we keep going this way, we'll be able to help. Otherwise something bad will happen."

"But you couldn't see exactly what it was?"

"What it will be," Ivan corrected.

Leah shrugged. "Whatever. You don't know what it is."

"I could see a lot of things, but it gets very difficult to see what's what, especially that far off. The visions are very... inconsistent. The seeing, I mean."

"I see. So here we are, running into danger."

"Danger? C'mon Leah, she's my sister."

"Your _aaaalien_ sister."

"Hey! At least she's a legal immigrant."

"From further away than any other immigrant, and she walked all the way here. Or was she carried some?"

"It is kinda weird, walking from other planets. But I've got to help her. If I don't help when I could, how could I face my mom again? You saw her: short, but she can be scary when she wants to be."

"You're not exactly Mister Tall yourself, Ive."

"Please don't call me that."

"Okay, Grumpy."

"I think you mean 'Sufferer-of-constant-low-level-headaches-and-weird-visions-of-the-past-and-various-futures."

"Ivan the Hyphen Guy?"

"Don't. Just don't."

"Fine. But here we are, in a Mini, rushing into danger unknown."

"It's a MINI."

"Yes. You don't have to shout."

"I was _capitalising_."

"Picky. You're avoiding the issue."

"We're not heading into danger. We're going to find Cassie, pick her up, and leave."

"If she's in danger, we'll surely get mixed up in it."

"Not if we're careful, and fast. I acquired this car, didn't I?"

"Yes, but... it wasn't exactly honest," Leah chided.

"The guy said I'd earned it after what I pulled."

"You cheated."

"It's not my fault 'random chance' doesn't exist for me. If it eases your conscience, I'll sent him a winning lottery ticket."

"That's cheating too."

"I'll give the car back, when we're done. And this is hardly the worst thing I've done."

"That's not an excuse."

"You're right, but I had no other options at short notice. And... veer left in five seconds!"

"Huh? What?"

"Veer now!" Ivan commanded.

Leah did as instructed. "Why did I just do that?" she wondered when she was done.

"So we didn't hit a pothole and blow out a tire."

"Oh. Good enough reason."

"You're welcome."

"It's still not worth me doing all the driving."

"Well, I'm _so_ sorry the unpleasant side affects of my freaky abilities are inconvenient to you. Develop teleportation powers that send you mad, and then you can complain about driving."

"Sorry, Ivan. It's easy to forget how painful it is for you."

"We're both rather short tempered right now. How about we put the radio on?"

"Great idea. But I choose the station."

"Hey!"

"I'm the one who's driving, so..."

"I'm kidding, go ahead."

"Oh. Don't do that."

"Sure, just don't call me any more funny names."

"Deal. Later, you can choose a station, and I can make up more names."

"Hey!"

-

Notes: Yay, much quicker update... though I haven't updated any other stories in the meantime. My muse got stuck to this one for a few days :D

I've been looking forward to this part of the story for ages (though there's a lot of new material I never anticipated) and I'm enjoying writing for a wide group of characters with lots of switching :D

I hope you're all enjoying it as much as me!

[Fixed some minor writing errors, including changing 'unassaulted' to 'unassailed'.]


	32. Plucking Out

Chapter 32 – Plucking Out

Note: did anyone pick up on the slight reference to a Sanctuary character near the end of the previous chapter? Hehehe

Also, conversations between Athena and her Jaffa have been translated from Goa'uld into English for easier reading.

Final note before posting: wow, this ended up longer that I expected. I was worried it was short and am very pleased it isn't!

_A few hours later…_

"A homeless shelter? Seriously Ivan, I'm not that hungry, and I don't think they serve soup in the middle of the night. Or do they? I've got no idea."

"Shh! Headache, remember?"

Leah turned off the engine, having parked where her friend had instructed. "Sorry."

"Cassie's in there."

"Oh. Of course. I should have…"

"I know."

"Right. I keep forgetting."

"I guess that makes up for my precognition," Ivan joked. Evidently he saw that some humour was needed.

"Ha. Do we go in now?"

"Only if we go in now. From what I can see, if continue to sit here we don't go in until later."

"Duh. That's kind of obvious."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I wanted to know if you think it's a good idea to go in now."

"As good a time as any."

"The lights are off," Leah pointed out in a worried tone.

"I see that."

"Why?"

Ivan shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Is there something… bad in there?"

"My sister is in there."

"That's not what I meant."

"It's the only answer you're getting."

"Didn't you say Cassie wasn't dangerous?"

"Not exactly. And I didn't know then what I know now," Ivan replied. "But we'll be fine, if we're careful."

"Maybe I should stay in the car," Leah suggested uncertainly.

"Nah, they're less likely to trust me on my own."

"Oh, right. Let's do this." Leah followed Ivan into a lobby area, which was normally bright with cheerful posters on the walls. It now looked a little spooky as it was lit by a pair of candles on a counter-top. Behind the counter, a sleepy middle-aged man sat on a stained office chair. He became more alert as the pair approached.

"Good evening, may I help you?" he welcomed.

"As a matter of fact, you can, Roland. How's the knee?" Ivan asked in a friendly manner.

"Pardon?"

"You jarred your left knee yesterday, playing basketball with the kids."

Roland rolled his chair back a little way in surprise. "How do you know about that? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Ivan. This is Leah. We're here to pick up my sister Cassandra. She's the girl who arrived a little before your power cut out. The one with the neck wound."

"She's wounded?!" Leah interrupted. "What happened to her?"

"I'll tell you later. We need to get her out of here quickly."

"What's going on?" Roland demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you. You really don't want her to stay here, trust me," Ivan warned.

"Is she trouble, or in trouble?"

"I guess you could say both, but she didn't do anything wrong. She's the victim here. I just want to keep her safe."

"What makes you think _you_ can keep her safe, kid?"

"He's not a kid," Leah snapped.

"Sorry, you're all kids to me."

"We're adults, so you can let my sister decide whether she wants to come with me," Ivan argued.

Roland gave a resigned sign. "Fine, I'll go wake her."

"You don't want to do that. If you startle her she will accidentally hurt you," Ivan warned.

"I'd take him seriously if I were you," Leah supported.

The man saw the gravity in her expression. "Fine, we'll go together. Her room's close by."

A couple of corners later, the trio arrived at a room which held beds for four women. Currently, none of them were occupied. In the far corner, Cassandra crouched, her legs folded against her chest with her head on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, and a blanked thrown around her shoulders. Beside her, a wall socket sparked slightly. "Sit down," Ivan instructed, pointing at one of the beds. He didn't want her to feel trapped.

"What are you doing?" Leah wondered as Ivan pulled the keys to the MINI from his pocket.

"There's a little LED on the keyring," Ivan explained as he found it and began waving and flashing it in front of his stepsister.

"I repeat: what are you doing?"

"Oh. This is the only method of communication I have that she'll notice. I'm writing my name in the air, see?"

Leah didn't really, but Cassie did. The electrical disturbance was enough to wake her. "What… **I v a n**… Ivan?" she read.

"**Yes and Leah**," Ivan wrote in reply.

"Leah… yes, I remember. Hold on." Cassie relaxed her mind and let herself concentrate first on the overall physical structure of her visitors, and next on the fine details of molecular vibrations. "Yeah, it's you. I can hear now, kinda. If you speak slowly. I'm still getting the hang of this... um, it's complicated. How did you find me?"

Leah was completely confused. "What's she talking about?"

"I'll explain later," Ivan dismissed.

"You know?" Cassie asked him.

"Yeah, I know a lot of stuff. Like, what'll happen if we don't leave soon. The bunch who kidnapped you is going to figure out that you're gone real soon, and you don't want to be here when it happens."

"How..."

"Your mother's name was Miranda, and your father's was Gerold. You had an aunt who you were named after. She told you to hide and wait for travellers from Earth when she realised you were not suffering from Nirti's plague like everyone else in Hanka," Ivan told her. "All that, I can see in my mind when I'm near you. And I can see what would happen if we don't leave soon."

"Alright, I'll come," Cassie readily agreed.

"Wait, what's going on?" Roland demanded.

"We're leaving. We'll be out of your hair soon. Oh, but once we're gone, you'll want to check the north fuse box."

"Uh, if you say so. North fuse box. I'll do that," Roland agreed, having precious little other choice.

"Great, I'll lead." Ivan helped Cassie to her feet and assisted her in leaving the building. Leah trailed close behind. When they reached the exit, Ivan stopped and shook Roland's hand. "Thanks for feeding her, and sorry for the trouble." He pressed something into the man's hand. "This should cover the damage."

"A lottery ticket? I don't gamble."

"Neither do I," Ivan declared knowingly.

-

"Where to now?" Leah asked as she turned the car onto the main street.

"Keep heading out of town for now. We'll figure out our destination later. I need to talk to Cassie."

"Sure," Leah agreed.

"Great. Sis, can you hear me?" Ivan asked slowly and clearly.

"… Yes, if I focus on the vibrations. It's quite taxing."

"I'll make this brief. You don't need to explain what's happened to you, because I can… glimpse bits of your past and possible futures. More than bits, if I concentrate hard. That gives me headaches, but blocking out the images isn't good either. I get lots of 'static' in my mind and it's hard to think."

"Oh. How did you… how did it happen?"

"I'm not totally sure. I've kinda always had it, but I've blocked it until recently. I think it has something to do with my father trying to poison me before I was born. It's not really important how I got it, just that it gives us a big advantage over anyone chasing us."

"Is anyone chasing us?"

"Not just yet. So, where do you want us to take you?"

"I need to call my mom. Ours, I mean. And then I need to get back home," Cassie required.

"Uh… I'd rather not talk to her any time soon."

"Why not?"

"I think she might blame me for, uh, the public finding out about the SGC," Ivan admitted.

"Why would she think… how could you have… oh!" Cassie realised exactly what Ivan must have done."

"Yeah, I read her past. And yours. Sorry about that, but I wanted to know about the life I missed having. I never expected to find… all that."

"I…" Cassie was ready to get mad, but sensed that her power was about to fly out of control. "No, we'll discuss that later. You still need to call my mom though. I can't get near a phone without destroying it. It's a struggle not to knock out this car's electrical systems. I've been struggling to stay in control ever since that _snake_…"

"If I call her, I'll give away my location. Our location. The risk of the wrong people finding you is too high. I'll drive you there, but I can't let anyone know. Sorry, but that's the best I can do without risking our safety."

"Ahem," Leah interjected.

"Sorry. _Leah_ will drive you. Now get some rest, and I'll fill her in on your situation. Okay?"

Cassie sighed dramatically. "Fine, but I really don't want Mom to worry any longer than she has to."

"I'm sure she'll understand that this is the safest option. Now, try to relax for a while," Ivan soothed.

Leah stayed silent for a few minutes before starting her questioning. "So… exactly what has happened to your sister?"

-

_On Athena's ship, Earth orbit…_

"My Lady, the first construction phase is complete. The main chamber is ready, and initial resources are almost exhausted," a Jaffa reported.

Athena nodded knowingly. Having a mass of Replicator cells linked with her brain meant she received constant updates on their progress. She had not informed anyone of this ability. Her plan was to tell no one – a queen had to have some secrets, after all. If the Tau'ri learned of her plans, they would be unable to anticipate her mental control over the Replicators, leaving her with a sizable advantage. _"Give the order for the expansion phase to begin,"_ she commanded.

The Jaffa bowed and walked swiftly to a control panel. He entered a command, which in reality did absolutely nothing except flash a confirmation. At the same time, Athena let the Replicators below know her will. They had already multiplied, and now the majority of them began to burrow away from the underground facility they had constructed. Each one searched for new materials to build its own Replicator colony. Many attached themselves to vehicles in order to cover more ground in a short time. All remained as stealthy as possible, only consuming materials that would not be missed. By the time they were noticed, they would be well established.

"_Now that construction of Headquarters is complete, it is time to transport the Stargate down to its new home."_ Athena nodded for the Jaffa to activate the Asgard transporter. With a flash of vivid white light and unique hum, the Stargate vanished from its haven on the ship and was reassembled in its new home moments later.

"It is done, My Lady."

_"Very good. Are there any reports from project H?"_

"Nothing has been received."

_"My daughter overseeing it should be working through the night. Request an immediate update."_

"It shall be done."

-

_Down on the surface..._

"The poor girl! We've had it easy compared to what she's been through," Leah realised. "I thought you had it bad, but... wow. Even without having one of those things try burrowing into her... Erk!" She shuddered, adding, "The very idea creeps me out."

"Yeah, now keep quiet for a bit. I need to concentrate," Ivan requested.

Leah decided it was wise to do as he asked.

-

_Above..._

"My Lady, there is no response," the Jaffa reported.

"I see. Trace the hok'taur's energy signature."

"But the facility is shielded from all sensors!" he protested.

_"And if she has escaped?"_

"I understand. Forgive me for doubting."

Athena ignored the attempted groveling. _"Have another prepare a secure cell by filling it with a powerful sedative gas. When the hok'taur is found, transport her and any with her into the cell."_

"It shall be done."

-

_Below..._

The moment arrived. "Pull over now!" Ivan yelled. Leah immediately reacted and stopped as quickly as possible. Ivan jumped out the moment it was marginally safe and stepped back to yank Cassie's door open. He took her hand to gain her attention and warned, "Cass, as soon as we get away from the car, Athena will try to beam you up. All of us, actually. You need to block it from working." He didn't need to ask whether she understood, as he could see it.

Cassie scrambled out of the car with Ivan's help, and Leah rounded it and followed close behind. A short sprint later Ivan shouted, "Here's far enough that you won't fry the car. Get ready."

"Be still," was Cassie's only reply. She quickly ignored the weak and microscopic vibrations of atoms caused by sound, and withdrew her mind from all her other senses. Her entire will was deeply focused on watching for high-powered quantum fluctuations, which she had learned from Sam was the operating range of Asgard transporters, translated into human understanding of physics. Cassie could see that there was far more going on than she had learned from Sam - just as the Tollan had stated - but she didn't let herself become distracted by the details. Once this was all over, she could write a few papers on the subject - medical aspirations notwithstanding - but for now her primary concern was survival.

Milliseconds after achieving a suitable mental state, Cassandra sensed an approaching disturbance in the quantum field. Immediately she began preparing countermeasures. Creating precisely the opposite energy pattern in order to cancel it out was too complicated for her level of ability. It would also take too much energy, as would blocking or diverting it. As it drew closer, her mind raced for a solution as a speed far beyond normal human consciousness. Nothing feasible came to mind.

The beam had almost reached her when she let her instincts take over and drew the energy into herself, just as she had done in previous brushes with electricity. After half a second, she had absorbed as much as she felt safe holding, so she funneled it into a wave of energy which blocked the incoming beam. When the stored energy was nearly depleted, she switched back to sucking it in, and repeated the process a few more times until it was over. "I... did it," she murmured breathlessly.

-

Above...

"The transport failed," the Jaffa reported. "The transporter was unable to reach the target."

Athena pushed him out of the way and perused the data. _"The hok'taur blocked it,"_ she concluded. _"I wonder..."_

"My Lady?"

"_Did the girl escape alone, or has the child implanted in her turned against me?"_ she asked herself aloud. _ "No, there's no chance of anything less than complete loyalty – I made certain of it. The girl must have broken out of containment before the implantation. Or... the implantation failed and the researcher was fooled into releasing the girl. She has become a liability in excess of her usefulness, and must be destroyed."_

"Shall I target her position with primary weapons?" the Jaffa offered.

"_No, it would expose out position and intentions."_ Athena also feared the hok'taur might be able to turn the power of the weapon back to its source, but she did not voice such a worry. _"Send a squad of Jaffa close to her position. No, make it two squads. One team is to take staff weapons, but they are not to be fired. The Hok'taur may be able to turn the blast against her enemies. The second team should be unarmed and wear no metal. Their strength and skill gives them enough advantage. The girl has two companions. One is to be killed, and the other used to force her compliance. When she is subdued, eliminate her and then the other. So there is no mistake, the hok'taur is the female with light skin."_

"I understand."

-

_Below..._

"They're about to beam down troops. Jaffa. Get ready to take them out. They plan to kill us all," Ivan informed his stepsister. She had taken a well-earned rest from her mental adventuring. Scant moments later, bright flashes of light shone out on either side of the trio. They vanished after a few seconds, leaving the bodies of a dozen Jaffa and the stench of burned flesh. Obviously the energy level of the transporter had been somewhat boosted by Cassandra's intervention. "Great, that should leave them thinking for a while. It's time we were out of here. Back to the car," Ivan instructed.

As Leah started the engine she asked the question which had been bothering her for the past couple of minutes. "Ivan, I don't mean to be ungrateful for you saving our lives, but why couldn't you give me more warning? Didn't you see that coming until it was nearly too late? If I hadn't pulled over as fast as I did..."

"I knew you could do it," Ivan told his friend. "And you didn't disappoint me."

"You _knew_? Ahead of time?" Leah demanded.

"Yes, I knew for a while," Ivan admitted, keeping his voice casual.

"Then why didn't you tell me?!"

"Leah, my 'gift', it's complicated. I can see a lot of different futures at any given moment, but only possible futures. If something can't happen, I don't see it."

"So... how does that relate?"

"We all want to know who's after us, and what they want, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And if we were captured, we'd probably find out something about our captors, given that we said the right thing ourselves, right?"

"I suppose, but I'm not about to test that theory."

"Of course not. But you don't have do. I could see the possible futures in which we _were_ captured. It took a lot of concentration to find the ones in which we learned something useful, but I found them eventually."

"Great, that's great. But couldn't you have warned me before you went on your trip through the futures?"

Ivan shook his head slowly. "No. As soon as I took steps to prevent our capture, that future would not be possible, so I wouldn't have been able to see it. I figured that the longer I allowed the possibility of our capture to exist, the longer I'd have to explore the variations and learn from them."

"Did you see that in a future in which you warned me, you wouldn't be able to see the futures with us captured?" Leah wondered.

"No, I can't see my ability in my future, or what I'm thinking in the future. My thoughts, my ability, are only in the present. I couldn't handle anything more than that. It's probably for the best that way. Otherwise, I might go crazy, or simply be unable to function in the present, which isn't any better than the crazy option."

"Right, right. So, what did you learn?"

"**That**, is the bad part."

-

Endnotes: I hoped you liked having more of Ivan and Leah, along with Cassie, plus Athena and her plans...

Let me know if there's any problems, errors, or typos. Or maybe even if you enjoyed reading :D

Next chapter should be quicker in arriving. Cheers,

ED


	33. New Day, New Seekers

Chapter 33 – New Day, New Seekers

_Early the next morning..._

"Prometheus, this is General O'Neill," Jack radioed from the SGC control room.

"Jack. This is Hammond," a welcome voice replied.

"George. Any more signs?"

"I'm afraid not," Hammond answered regretfully. "Just last night's blips, and then nothing. If we had found it sooner..."

"George, don't beat yourself up over it. At least we know Cass was alive and moving late last night. Anything else is pure speculation. It might mean she escaped and was recaptured, or perhaps she's concealing herself. The NID haven't turned anything up yet, but they're still scanning the area."

"Have you told Doctor Frasier yet?" George inquired.

"Not yet, General. She needs her sleep, as she was up late perfecting... her formula." Due to the nature of that project, it was never spoken of explicitly over radio or telephone. "I'll let her know later in the morning."

"Understandable. I'll let you know as soon as we have an more data."

"As will I, Sir. Good luck."

"Godspeed, Jack."

-

_Meanwhile, down on Earth..._

A grubby, dark-haired woman walked into a small diner and looked around carefully. "Breakfast, Ma'am?" the owner asked.

"I already ate. I'm actually looking for the location of someone's home. Where would I look for that information?"

"You want an address? Try the phonebook."

"Er, do you have one of those around?" she asked rather blankly.

The man took pity on the lost woman and offered, "I have one in the back. Who are you looking for?"

"A Doctor Daniel Jackson."

"_The _Daniel Jackson?"

"How many are there?"

"There's only one who is famous for unlocking the Stargate, Ma'am."

"Oh, yes, that's the one. How did you know about that? It was my understanding that this planet's Stargate is a secret."

"Er, it was until recently. How did you miss it? It's been all over the television!"

"Television? I'm afraid you'll have to explain what that is. I'm not from around here, Mister..."

"Sal."

"I thought this was Sol's Diner."

"I bought it from Sol," Sal replied gruffly.

"I see: Sol sold it and you're Sal. I'm Vala, and I'd like to know what 'television' is."

The truth slowly dawned on the owner. "You... you're... what planet are you from?"

"Planet? I was on a moon most recently, but my lovely new house was blown up by a rather nasty Goa'uld named Athena while I was away on a terribly muddy planet searching for treasure in completely the wrong place because Daniel _tricked _me!" Vala vented.

"So... you're... an alien?"

Vala shrugged. "This is my first visit to Earth, if that's what you mean. Interesting place, though it's a bit grubby."

"You're hardly in a position to criticise," Sal replied pointedly.

Vala sighed. "I'm sorry I'm not looking – or smelling – my best, but Athena rigged my house to explode before I had an opportunity to shower. Can we ignore my unsightly appearance and find Daniel's address? And that 'television' sounds interesting."

"I'll put on the morning news," Sal offered. "It's in the back. Don't touch anything."

Vala followed the man and watched as he turned on the TV and flicked through the channels with the remote control. "Ah, television. Not bad." She was familiar with primary principles from Goa'uld technology.

"...to give us the details of these amazing new developments is the head of Creating A Kinder Earth, Miss Charlotte Mayfield. What can you tell us about your new Stargate facility, Miss Mayfield?"

The nagging worry a the back of Vala's mind became a blaring alarm when Mayfield appeared on the screen and began speaking about new advanced rapid fabrication methods. "This 'Creating A Kinder Earth' group - they control the Stargate?"

"That's right, it was transported out of the former Stargate Command just yesterday. That's the group Doctor Jackson is part of. The Stargate is under international control now, under the guidance of CAKE."

Vala muttered several Goa'uld curses under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"We've got a problem. A big problem. Remember Athena, the Goa'uld I mentioned a minute ago?"

"One of the evil parasite aliens?" Sal checked.

Vala nodded and pointed at the TV screen, where Charlotte was still explaining how she and her organisation would vastly improve the condition of the human race. "That's her."

"For certain?"

"Absolutely, I'd stake my life on it. And I'm not just saying that because she almost killed me yesterday."

"So, you actually saw Miss Mayfield on another planet yesterday?"

"Well, it was actually a holographic recording of her. But she said she was Athena, and I know Athena well enough to confirm that she is Athena, in a new host." Vala pointed back to the TV. "**That** host. Do you know what this means?"

"You think one of the evil aliens has taken over CAKE. Which means _they_ control the Stargate now, if you're right."

"No, that's not what's happened at all. 'Creating A Kinder Earth' was simply a ploy. Athena has been behind it all along, I'm sure of it. And now she has what she wants: Earth."

"That's a very bold claim."

"Yes, and it's an important one. The sooner I warn the people who can do something about this… the sooner they can richly reward me for saving Earth!" Vala realised. "Forget about Daniel's home – I was only going there because I knew he wouldn't be there. What about… hmm, let's see, I know he did eventually tell me her name… J… Janet, that was it. A healer."

"Ah, that would be Doctor Janet Frasier. She's the SGC's Chief Medical Officer."

"Yes, that sounds like her. Daniel told me he planned to marry her."

"Really? _That_, I hadn't heard."

"No? Then you'd better keep it to yourself. Otherwise people will come asking where you heard, and you'll have to tell them about me, and Athena will find out that her bomb failed to kill me, and I'll lose the element of surprise."

"Alright, I won't tell anyone just yet," Sal promised.

"Good. Could you find out where this Janet lives? In your… phone book?"

"No, that only has local numbers. But I do know it will be somewhere near the SGC, which is under Cheyenne Mountain, in Colorado Springs, Colorado," Sal explained. "You could look her up once you get there. Please tell me you don't need to borrow a vehicle."

"Oh, no, I have my own transport," Vala answered with a grin. "I'd better get back to it before someone walks into it."

"Walks into it?"

"It's invisible," Vala answered over her shoulder as she left the diner.

"Tell all your friends to try the blue plate special next time they visit Earth," Sal called just before Vala left earshot.


	34. Homecoming, almost

Chapter 34 – Homecoming, almost

_Colorado Springs__, A few hours later..._

"We're getting pretty close," Leah announced as she turned the car onto a less busy street. "Is everything still clear?"

Ivan pulled his view of the likely future into focus and reported, "We're safe for the time being."

"And your mom's still home?"

"Uh, yeah… but now she's not alone."

"She isn't? Who's with her?"

"Um…" Ivan tried to focus on who he would meet upon arriving at his mom's house, without intruding on people's thoughts. "It's the guy who was missing, who she's engaged to – Daniel Jackson."

"Really? That's great! I hadn't heard he'd been rescued. I would have expected they'd announce it on the radio, given how important he is to the SGC. Do you know what they're saying?"

"No, I only know that we'll see him if we continue heading to my mom's place. There's no way for me to find out what's happening in the present, just what could happen when our futures cross. I'd better wake Cassie – she'll want to know. And could you pull over for a bit? I don't think we should interrupt them just yet," Ivan requested.

"Um, sure."

"Thanks, Leah." Ivan waited until the car was stopped to wake his sister. If she damaged something upon awakening, he preferred to be stationary.

"Ivan?" Cassie asked when she realised it was him with a hand on her shoulder.

"Can you hear me alright, Cass?" he checked.

"Yeah, I'm 'tuned in'. What's up?"

"Good news. I just saw that when we get to your house..."

"Ours," Cassie interjected.

"Uh, when we get home, you'll get to introduce me to Daniel Jackson."

"Really?" Cassie shrieked happily. A joyful smile reached her happy - though unseeing - eyes. "That's great! What about Cynthia? Is she back too?"

"I don't know yet. We'll find out soon enough."

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, even with your gift, we need to be patient.

"Very patient," added Leah from the driver's seat. She was still a little sore about having to do all the driving.

"If you have to say you're being patient, then you aren't," Ivan joked.

"Just be glad you have someone whose superpower is the ability to drive safely," was Leah's response.

"A rare gift," Ivan answered in mock seriousness.

Leah shrugged. "While we're waiting, how about we play a game?"

"Don't bother suggesting Scissors Paper Rock, or I Spy," Ivan quickly said. "I win."

"Oh. Then how about you tell us what we're going to play, Future Boy?"

"If you leave the decision up to me, nothing," Ivan smirked.

"How about a nice game of chess?" Cassie suggested unoriginally.

"Uh… dammit," Ivan muttered.

"What?" Leah prodded.

"In all possible futures I can see, I lose. I guess the only winning move is not to play."

He was awarded by gales of laughter, which the teens very much needed.

-

Author's Note:

_Earlier, at Janet's house… an evil author chose to end the chapter. Yes, it's far too short but it's been sitting stagnant for far too long. Sorry 'bout that._


End file.
